Making A Memory
by AJMcGough
Summary: Sequel to Love At First EMail. Byron, who is dating Ashley Marin, has accepted Aria and Ezra's relationship. The four go on a summer road trip running into problems along the way. Meredith, Tom & Isabel, getting lost, sex. I don't own Pretty Little Liars. CHANGED TO M FOR LATER CHAPTERS.
1. New Jersey

**PLEASE READ!**

**Hey guys!**

**It's back!**

**The second part of the trilogy. I was going to use **_**The Girl Who Played with Love **_**for the title, but this is supposed to be about having fun in the summer, with only a little trouble along the way. So I chose **_**Making a Memory **_**as it. It's a song by the Plain White T's. I was actually listening to it while I was outlining the chapters. **

**Also, I actually outlined this story! Be excited and give me a clap, even though I honestly can't see you. I really just want to say that you guys are the inspiration to keep me going. I love you guys so much (:**

**This part of the story is going to take place six months later, June 14****th**** to be exact. Yeah, that's Lucy Hale's birthday, 16 days before mine (:**

**Anyways, Byron is dating Ashley Marin and they are madly in love. Aria and Ezra have been going out for eight months and they are just the "it" couple. Everything seems perfect in Rosewood…**

…**for now.**

_**6 months later…**_

"DAD! Hurry up! Ezra's going to be here any minute in the truck and you're still not packed yet!" Aria screamed up the stairs.

"I'm coming! I'm coming." Byron said as he rushed down the stairs, duffle bag in tow.

"Call Ashley and tell her we're on our way." Aria said when Ezra pulled into the driveway.

Ezra and Aria had been going strong for eight months. Byron had long forgotten about Meredith and got the nerve to ask Ashley Marin out on a date. She said yes and they had been going equally as strong for four months. Everything in Rosewood was finally going great.

Mike had gone to a three-month long summer lacrosse camp, leaving Aria and Byron in the house. Ezra had rented a truck for the summer, saying he and Aria wanted to travel the eastern boarder for the summer. Their plan was to go to New Jersey, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida whilst trying to fit one state in one week. So, in all, the four were going to be gone a total of six weeks. Ezra had saved up for this trip since November, knowing he would want to do it sometime, just not knowing it would be with three other people. Byron had practically invited himself along for the trip, not wanting to be stuck in the same old Victorian-style house all summer. So ultimately, Ashley was destined to go. Hanna and Caleb were going to go, but Caleb's mom invited him to California for the summer, so Hanna tagged along.

It was just the four of them, all summer long. Mike wouldn't be due back until a week before school started, August thirteenth. Byron, Ashley, Ezra, and Aria were scheduled to be back around August tenth, so they had enough time to unpack and get settled in before Aria and Byron were supposed to drive up to the outskirts of Pennsylvania to pick up the youngest in the Montgomery family.

"Dad, Ezra's here. Are you sure you only need one duffle bag? I have four." Aria laughed. She looked at her dad curiously. Byron had broken up with Meredith when Ezra and Aria came out and he had since grown increasingly happier. He wore a smile almost every day and came down the stairs whistling the lyrics to _Wake Me up before You Go Go _by Wham! He cooked the kids' breakfast every morning and he had been spending less time at work and more time at home.

"No, I have two more upstairs. Will you go get them while I go talk to Ezra?" Byron asked. He had to make sure that Ezra knew the boundaries on this road trip. Aria was still a teenager and even though he knew she could control herself, he wasn't so sure about Ezra.

"Yeah, ask him if he's packed a cooler, too. I started one, but I'm only going to bring an empty one if he has one already done." Aria told her dad before she walked up the stairs with a bounce in her step.

Byron walked out the open front door, it being 78 degrees with a cool breeze, and walked over to the red truck that was parked in the drive way. Ezra had climbed out and was strapping something down in the bed. The younger man was wearing khaki shorts, worn converse, and white t-shirt on it that said _Go Sharks! _Byron was wearing khaki's, Nike tennis shoes, and a grey polo. Man, did he feel old.

"Ezra!" Byron called out. Ezra quickly turned around, obviously surprised that Byron was first to greet him. He pulled his sunglasses up and into his hair, causing it to slick back onto his scalp.

"Hey, Byron. Thanks again for coming along and letting us do this." He said shaking the older man's hand.

"No, thank you for letting us come along." Byron smiled. "Aria wanted me to ask you if you brought a cooler for the road, she said she was going to pack one, but she was only going to bring if you didn't pack one."

"Oh, crap. That's what I forgot." Ezra smacked his forehead and started laughing. "No, sorry, I didn't. It was even on my check list. Do you want me to stop at the store and get some waters?"

"No, that won't be necessary. Aria has one already half packed. If need be, we can stop on the way." Byron reassured, feeling sorry for the man. He had intended that this trip be perfect, but he screwed up the first day. He didn't blame Ezra, heck, if he were going on a trip with his girlfriends' father and his girlfriend, he'd be freaked too.

"Ezra!" Aria screamed and hopped off the steps, running towards Ezra so he could catch her in his arms.

"Hey beautiful." He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arm around her waist. Her legs wrapped around his torso when she leaned in for a peck on the cheek. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, just let me go get the cooler that you obviously forgot." Aria giggled, hopping down. "Slacker."

"Oh, it's on, Pookie Bear!" Ezra yelled after her. Byron smiled at the banter that his daughter shared with Ezra Fitz.

"Pookie bear?" Byron asked, chuckling that he remembered that he and Ella called her until she was seven because Mike couldn't pronounce Aria. It always came out _Ee-a._

"She told me that you guys used to call her that until she was seven when I told her my nick name was _Z. _Now, I always make fun of her because of it. And I get tortured because of it." Ezra laughed, then his face turning bright after he realized that he said _Aria tortured him. _Hopefully Byron doesn't think sexually. "I-I mean that…I, uh…"

"I get it, Ezra. No kisses for you." Byron laughed before he went to go get his bags from the front porch where Aria had dropped them.

_break.

_He thinks he can get rid of me? Oh, Byron, it won't be that easy. I will haunt you until the day you fall to the ground. You love me; you won't have anything better than me. Not that skanky Ashley Marin who slept with Darren Wilden to keep herself out of jail. Nasty whore. You just wait, Byron Montgomery, you just wait._

Meredith had been following Byron Montgomery around for a little more than three months. She had watched his every move, even when he went out on that date with Ashley Marin. That one date shattered Meredith's heart. She had sent threats to Ashley via snail mail, hoping that it would get the message across, but it didn't. She showed the letter to Byron and after that, Byron showed up at Meredith's doorstep telling her that if she didn't stop, he would call the cops on her. So, she quit for a while, and then went back to stalking the man she loved.

Now, she was determined to get Byron back, even if it meant following that stupid red truck around the Atlantic border all summer long.

_She would get him back._

___break.

Ezra honked the horn after about ten minutes of waiting outside the Marin's house. Byron had gone in there to get Ashley, but it apparently turned into a reaundevue rather than a quick two minutes trip.

"Oh my god! What the hell are they doing in there?" Aria laughed, throwing her head back.

"Well, they could be doing something you haven't given me yet." Ezra pouted. Aria looked at him from the corner of her eye. She inched of the seat and pecked Ezra on the lips. "That's all?"

Aria laughed, but she reluctantly gave in and leaned across the cup holder and kissed Ezra on the mouth. He reached his hand to grip it on her waist as her hand went directly to his black curls. He moaned against her mouth which gave her a chance to enter her tongue. After fighting for dominance, he eventually won, which led to her ending up sitting on his lap. Ezra started chuckling as he saw Byron leave the house with his hair messed and he fixing his polo, Ashley slowly trailing behind. Aria pulled away from the kiss and looked at her father. She laughed before rolling down the window.

"You two all good?" Aria shouted from the driver's side window.

"Aria, get back on your side of the car." Byron said briefly as Ashley's cheek's turned crimson.

Both entered the cab of the truck and Byron told Ezra they were all okay.

"Off to Jersey!" Ezra laughed when Aria entwined her hand in his.

_break.

"Ah, Jersey air!" Aria breathed. She had been the light of the car ride, trying to keep the games in full swing, pulling Mad Libs from about everywhere, she even made Ezra play _Would You Rather? _With her after Ashley and Byron fell asleep.

"Aria, calm down. We still have another twenty minutes before we get to the hotel, besides, it's almost midnight, the stuff you smell is probably Guido's and Guidette's puking up all over the place." Byron mustered. He took over driving around nine so Ezra could sleep a little.

"Dad, do you even know what a Guido and Guidette is?" Aria laughed. She was surprised to know her father even watched TV, let alone MTV.

"Yes. It's a little Oompa Loompa, like Snookie!" Byron laughed. Aria looked at her dad, who raised his eyebrows, then burst out laughing which caused Ezra to wake simultaneously.

"Sorry babe. Dad's over here teaching me how much he knows about Guido's and Guidette." Aria looked at her boyfriend who was rubbing his eyes, taking his head off of Aria's lap.

"Oh god, don't get her started on Jersey Shore." Ezra lazily chuckled.

"Hanna watches that all the time, it gets so annoying after hearing Pauly and Vinny yelling 'Cab's here!' twenty million times." Ashley laughed. "That reminds me, when we check in, I have to call Hanna."

Aria leaned into Ezra's arm as he draped one lazily around her waist, shoving his nose into her hair smelling the vanilla lavender he loved oh-so much. She lazily closed her eyes while she placed her legs across Ezra's lap.

Byron looked in the rearview mirror and noticed Aria nuzzled in with Ezra, his hand lie on her waist, her hand on his chest, both sleeping. He smiled as he realized that Aria was truly, believably happy. His whole life was starting to come together. Ever since he had lost Ella, his world had come crashing down, little by little rebuilding itself. But, once he found Ashley, it got better all around. He got a promotion at work, Mike made Varsity Lacrosse for the second year in a row and Aria was happy.

"Byron, sweetie, there's the hotel." Ashley mumbled as sleep was about to overcome her as well. He pulled into the Best Western.

"Ezra, wake up." He nudged the twenty-two year old who shot up from his sleep.

"I'll carry Aria and her bags." He mumbled. One of Ezra's arms went under Aria's legs and the other stabilized her back so she wouldn't fall. As a reflex, her hands went around his neck as her head buried deeper into his neck; Ezra smiled when he felt Aria's hot breath on his neck. After stepping out of the truck, Byron had placed Aria's and his bag in his hands so he wouldn't have to reach into the bed, balancing Aria with one arm.

When all of them were in the hotel, Byron quickly went to check them in, as he was paying for the staying on this trip.

"Okay, Ezra, here's your room key. You're in room 253, Aria's in 252, and Ashley and I are in 250." Byron said handing out the room keys. Ezra had set Aria down on the chair so he could get a cart to carry all their bags.

"Dad? Why aren't Ezra and I staying in the same room?" Aria had mustered up enough strength to stand on two feet and form a somewhat proper sentence.

Byron stared between her and Ezra, searching for his answer. Truth is, he didn't want them staying the same room for the same reasons as to why Ashley and he were staying in the same room. Ezra turned away, knowing that he shouldn't question the wraths of the older gentleman.

"Aria, let's just go on up." Ezra sighed, picking up their bags and heading towards the elevator before Aria's small hand pulled him back. He rolled his eyes but reluctantly stayed.

"No, I want to know why my dad won't let us stay in the same room." Aria argued, staring directly into Byron's dumbstruck eyes. "So, why?"

"Because…because…" Byron stuttered.

"Because it was three for two special. He didn't want to hassle with the manager." Ashley saved him. Aria crossed her arms and eyes her father angrily. Byron's neck broke out into a sweat as he saw Aria look towards Ezra who shook his head, just wanting to go to bed and not have an argument.

"Sure it was." Then she turned around and stalked to the elevator, Ezra in tow.

"Thank you so much, Ashley." Byron exasperated. He grabbed him and Ashley's bags and went over to the elevator that Aria and Ezra just entered.

"It's okay. If Hanna was with Caleb, I'd make them sleep in separate wings." Ashley laughed, grabbing for Byron's hand.

_break.

"Aria, stop. We'll be with each other for six weeks. It's one night without me." He turned sideways and looked at her with a smirk. "I'm sure you can handle it without me."

"I know, but that's not the point. The point is that he needs to be able to trust me. Yes, we've only had sex once, and that was more than eight months ago. He needs to see that I'm almost 18 and then I can do whatever I please." Aria answered Ezra. The elevator dinged and Ezra pushed the cart down the hall towards room 252.

"Well, maybe he's just looking out for you. I know my parents wouldn't let me board with any of my girlfriends in high school when we would go to Maine and ski." Ezra explained still moving forward. Aria stopped in the middle of the hallway.

"You took your girlfriends to Maine and you've barely taken me out of the city." Aria glared. Ezra stopped and dropped his hands from the bellhop cart. He walked over to Aria and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Yeah, but I was a teenager then. Now, I'm adult and I know what I want." He kissed her lips slightly and leaned in close to her ear. "And I want you."

His cinnamon breath drove Aria crazy. Her breath caught in her through causing her to gasp. She rested her hands in his curls and kissed his lips rougher, letting him have his hands travel up and in her sweat shirt that she slipped on when they stopped for dinner one the Pennsylvania border. Ezra backed her up into her doorway, cupping his hand under her chin. Her hands raked down the front of his tee and went under it to feel his abs. She traced little circles with her fingernails just under his navel, causing him to chuckle a little.

"Stop it, Aria." He laughed, holding himself up by the door.

"But, why?" She pouted. "I finally found your ticklish spot."

"Because I know all yours!" He yelled before picking her up and tossing her over his shoulder and started to tickle the back of her thighs and her stomach.

"Ezra Michael Fitz! Stop it right now!" Aria screamed. The elevator door dinged but that didn't stop Ezra from tickling her even more. Ashley stepped out first and laughed at the sight before her. She quickly dug out her camera and took multiple pictures of the couple laughing and having a good time. Byron stepped out afterwards and laughed even harder.

Ezra now had Aria pinned on the ground, hands above her head, telling her to say _Uncle. _

"Say it or you're never getting free!" Ezra said. Aria was laughing so hard that her face was turning red and she had little wheezes coming out instead of words.

"U-Un…Unc…Uncle!" She screamed, Ezra finally got off of her and helped her up. She punched him hard in the shoulder and walked off to her room. Ezra was about to walk in afterwards but Aria slammed the door in his face. Byron and Ashley walked in their room after laughing hard and taking multiple pictures.

"Aria…open the door and at least give me a goodnight kiss?"

"No!" He heard distinctly.

"You'll be begging' for me tomorrow!" He laughed before going to his own room.

_break.

The next morning, Byron was the first to wake. He quickly went downstairs and asked the morning manager where the local coffee shop was. Seeing as it was only eight thirty in the morning on a Saturday, Byron would get there and back in less than a half hour. He sent a text to Ezra saying that he was going to get coffee and donuts for everyone and to meet in his room at 9. Hopefully he would pass on the message to Aria.

While Byron was driving, he saw that Keansbury was actually beautiful. He could smell the salt from the ocean and hear the seagulls over head. He got to the Starbucks in less than ten minutes and ordered in less than five. Hoping Aria, Ezra and Ashley were okay with black coffee, he took off for the hotel.

The door was open when he arrived and he heard giggles coming from inside. He pushed the door open with his foot to find Aria sprawled out on the newly made bed, looking half dead with her hair up in a bun and raccoon eyes. Ezra was sitting in one of the chairs that went with the tiny table in the edge of the room. Ashley occupied the other chair.

"I'm back!" Byron said.

"Coffee!" Aria yelled and went to grab a cup from the cardboard tray her father had. She inhaled the scent deeply before going over to the mini refrigerator and adding milk and sugar. Ezra got up and offered Byron his chair after taking a coffee from the tray.

"Thank, Byron." He said, raising his coffee to the man before taking a long drink. He gave Ashley her cup before taking his own and biting into a glazed donut. Aria grabbed a chocolate sprinkled and a regular glazed and sat on Ezra's lap and fed him pieces of each donut.

"So, what are we doing today?" Ashley asked.

"I was reading through the travel guide in my room last and I saw a Keansbury amusement and water park. We should go there." Aria suggested. "I could use a tan." She inspected her paleness before making a face, indicating her coffee was empty.

"That'll be fun." Byron said. He, too, finished his coffee and made a face. He grabbed for another donut before going over to the coffee machine located on the counter imbedded in the wall. He added a cup of grounds and turned it on. "How about we leave around eleven? Let you guys have whatever alone time you want. Be back here at around ten thirty, okay?"

"Alright, do you need the truck?" Ezra asked Byron. Byron turned to Ashley and she shook her head no. "Alright, we'll probably scour for some more coffee and a book store."

"Okay, remember, ten thirty." Byron warned. He tossed Ezra the keys and the couple walked out the door.

"Ezra?" Aria questioned.

"Yeah, babe?" Ezra asked, looking towards their entwined hands once they closed her dad's room door.

"Will you wait a couple minutes while I clean my face off and get dressed?" Aria smiled her toothy, pearly white grin.

"Yeah, sure. Just make it quick. I saw this bookstore down the street that I want to see. I saw a coffee shop in it." Ezra laughed. Aria opened up her door and walked straight towards her restroom.

"If you want to, the Keansbury brochure is on the bed. There are a lot of cool looking rides. I want to ride everything." Aria yelled. Ezra heard the faucet turn on and Aria's makeup pouch unzip.

He grabbed the brochure and lay down on the bed, kicking his feet up seeing as he was already dressed.

_The Cliffhanger- One of the parks most thrilling experiences is to ride the Cliffhanger. You lay flat on your belly and soar at high speeds up and down through the air._

_Wild Cat Roller Coaster- Roller coaster enthusiast love this all steel Schwarzkopf coaster with individual four sweater car that climb and plunge along the track twisting and turning at break neck speeds. The drops and corkscrews are almost as mind numbing as the mind numbing ending._

"These thriller rides don't look half bad." Ezra yelled to Aria. She popped her head out, free of all traces of makeup.

"I know, but what I really want to ride…" She bit her lip, getting the glow of a four year old in her eyes, "…are the bumper cars."

Ezra laughed at her child inside before she went back in to do her hair, and reapply makeup.

"So, since this is part Water Park…I'm going to see the bikini you packed right?" Ezra smirked. Aria came out of the bathroom looking beautiful as ever. Her hair was in a high ponytail, falling down her back, with little makeup on, only eyeliner and a salmon color eye shadow.

"Fitz, are you trying to be pervy?" Aria laughed as she rummaged through her bag looking for a suit, shorts, and tank to wear for the day.

"Is it working?" He pushed himself up on his elbows, looking at Aria.

"Tons." She kissed his lips before heading back to the restroom to change.

_break.

_Where did they go? I was following them last night, but I got lost. Shit. I know he's in Keansbury. At least that's what the GPS says; if only he hadn't had that damn truck, this would be so much easier._

Meredith had set off for New Jersey after the four so she could help Byron realized that they were meant to be together. Too bad that late last night, she got screwed up with her directions and ended up at the Jersey Shore. She set off at seven this morning for Keansbury, all in good mind. Now all she had to do was find the Best Western they're staying at.

_Too bad there's like seven on each block._

_break.

"Ezra!" Aria screamed when they were walking back to her father's room. They had spent approximately an hour at the book store, loading up on coffee and books. Ezra had been particularly rambunctious on this trip, more than usual. He literally couldn't keep his hands off of Aria. Now, Ezra had slung Aria over his shoulder, his hand on her butt, laughing silently to himself.

"Ezra Fitz, if you don't let me down right now, I swear to God…I will-"

"You'll what? Shun me?" Ezra laughed, rounding the corner to Byron and Ashley's room.

"Yes! That, and worse!" Aria laughed. "Now put me down!"

"Fine, anything for you, your majesty."

"Thank you." She pecked him on the lips before knocking on her father's door. It was ten thirty-nine; hopefully he wouldn't be mad at the lateness of the two. Apparently, Jersey traffic was much worse than Rosewood.

"Come in!" She heard Ashley yell. Aria cracked the door fully expecting a half naked father, but instead, Byron was passed out on the couch, with Ashley reading a book.

"He seriously fell asleep?" Aria asked, pointing to her father.

"Yeah, I tried waking him, but he just wouldn't." Ashley laughed, returning to her book, _The Girl Who Played With Fire. _"You should try waking him up."

Aria took it upon herself to waltz over to the couch where her very loud, _very annoying, _snoring father was. She looked at him curiously before deciding on how she was to wake him up. She turned around and jumped backwards, landing on her fathers' abdomen. He awoke with a loud _Oomph! _

"Get up, daddy. It's ten forty!" Aria said in her sickly sweet voice. Ezra and Ashley were chuckling loudly, Byron's face turning red. Aria sprinted towards Ezra for a safe hiding spot, but Ezra put his hands up defending himself and leaving a helpless Aria looking for a place to hide with her oncoming father.

"Aria. Run. Now." Byron said. He lunged for the hose that was attached to the sink on the counter and started spraying Aria. She arched her back and screamed running for the bathroom. She slammed the door and locked it. She ran towards the sink, and thankful enough, there was an empty glass on the edge. She put it under the sink and filled it up to the top with ice cold water. She quietly unlocked the door, stepped out, and spotted her father facing the other way. Ezra's face practically gave her away. His eyes went wide, and his mouth made an 'o', but Byron didn't turn. Aria tiptoed up to her father, stood on her tippy toes and poured the glass all over her father. He screamed, looked at Aria, and then lunged for her. He caught hold of her ankle and started rubbing his wet hair all over her face

"Dad!" She laughed. Byron didn't stop. "Dad! Truce, truce, TRUCE!"

"Never do that again!" He laughed before going to the couch and sitting down. Aria looked down at her clothes and realized she was only partly drenched. She would have to change her shorts, but she'd be okay for the rest of the day.

"I'm going to go get my trunks on then we can all leave, okay?" Ezra said. He heard a mumble of okay's before stepping out of the room.

"I have to go change my drenched shorts." Aria looked pointedly at her father who was trying to hide a smirk.

_break.

"Are you sure you're ready for this, Ar?" Ezra said, gripping her hand tighter.

"Yeah…" she gulped. "I'm sure."

All four were looking up at the scariest coaster they had ever faced. The Wild Cat Coaster. Aria was deathly afraid of heights, but so far, she had done great with most of the rides. They even did the bumper cars…three times. They ate lunch at a very inexpensive food kiosk. Ezra ordered chili cheese fries and a veggie burger, which he shared with Aria, and Byron ordered two slices of pizza and a bag of chips for him and Ashley.

"Alright, let's go." Byron said. He and Ashley had sat out for most of the rides, Ashley being deathly afraid of Roller Coasters ever since she was four, and had been flung from a coaster, breaking almost every bone in her body. But Byron had convinced to ride at least one, and it was the scariest one she chose.

All of them walked up the wire gate steps; the line was surprisingly short for it being ten at night. They made it the line rather quickly, more quickly than Aria would have liked. Ezra and Aria sat in the back of one cart while Ashley and Byron sat in front. Ashley glued herself to Byron's Hollis tee, while Aria did the same. Both men wrapped a protective hand around their girlfriend's. The ride started and took a slow hill to the top, while Ezra was telling Aria to look to calm down. The coaster took an immediate down hill spiral, leading to a corkscrew turn, a jerky left turn, a loop-di-loop, another corkscrew, then a big hill, left turn, right turn, up, down, left, loop-di-loop, corkscrew, corkscrew, running into water!

Aria was begging to do it again by the time they were finished. Ashley was shaking uncontrollably.

"We're going to head back to the hotel. If you guys want to stay, you can, we'll take a shuttle back." Byron said, holding Ashley.

"Do you want to stay?" Aria asked Ezra.

"Sure." Ezra said, but he tossed the keys to Byron. "You guys take the truck; we'll take a shuttle back."

"Thanks. Bye." Byron said, taking Ashley back to the truck.

"So, Ms. Montgomery. What would you like to do now?" Ezra looked down at Aria, who had a special glint in her eye. "Let me guess…bumper cars?"

Aria shook her head vigorously up and down then started sprinting towards the attraction.

_break.

"Ezra, babe, will you carry me?" Aria asked, holding out her arms. She looked so small and spent, weak almost, but Ezra knew she was strong. She rode the Wild Cat almost four times, ate like a pig, and beat Ezra at a game of Carnie-basketball. She was a trooper today, she rode every ride, played every game; she out did herself.

"Yeah, hop on my back." Ezra crouched down so Aria could jump on to his back. They got off the shuttle five minutes earlier and were walking back towards the hotel. It was almost one in the morning and Byron and Ashley were long asleep. Just as a precaution, Ezra texted Byron saying they were on their way back, Byron hadn't fallen asleep and texted him back to be careful and for them to be back at Byron's room at one tomorrow and ready to leave New Jersey.

He reached the elevator doors, not really realizing that he had entered the Best Western. He hit the up button and waited. Thankfully, when the doors open, no one was in the cabin. He went in quietly, careful not to wake Aria sleeping on his back and hit the second floor. It didn't take ten seconds, but they hit the second floor and the room dinged. The doors opened and sooner or later they were at Aria's door. Ezra got her key card out of his wallet and pushed it in the door waiting for it to turn green. When it did, he opened the door and sat Aria quietly on the bed. He rummaged through her bags searching for a pair of sweats and a tee. He found a pair of sweats, but not a tee, so he took the one off his back and laid it next to the sweats. He took off Aria's pants, keeping her undergarments on, and slid on the sweatpants. He repeated the process with the top. Once he made sure she was asleep, he tip toed out of the room and into his own. He tore off his pants and jumped into bed, falling asleep within seconds.

_break.

"If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go. I can take you places you ain't never been before. Baby, take a chance or you'll never, ever know. I got money in my hands that I'd really like to blow; swag, swag, swag, on you. Chillin' by the fire while we eatin' fondue. I don't know about me but I know about you so say hello to falsetto in three, two." Ezra rapped, pointing to Aria afterwards indicating her to sing the hook.

"I'd like to be everything you want. Hey girl, let me talk to you. If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go, keep you on my arm girl, you'd never be alone. I can be a gentleman, anything you want. If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go, I'd never let you go." Aria sang melodically, dancing all the way down the hallway. She clapped her hands loudly, laughing as well, when her part ended. Ezra was smiling a cheesy grin which caused Aria to grow suspicious. "What?"

"Huh?" Ezra asked, breaking out of his happy funk.

"Why are you smiling like a dufus?" She laughed, grabbed his hand.

"Well, I'm smiling like a _dufus, _because I'm singing with my girlfriend, on our way to meet her father, to leave for Virginia. I love this moment. Right here, right now." Ezra said. He grabbed Aria by the waist and kissed her hard on the mouth. Aria's hands twirled in his hair, pressing herself against him to create friction. He bent down, grinding himself against her, causing her to moan. He reached his full six foot three height, and then broke off the kiss. He walked off towards Byron's room with a smirk on his face.

"Tease!" Aria screamed after him. She sprinted towards his back and hopped on, scaring the crap out of him.

"Aria!" Ezra yelled once she jumped on.

"What? I like being tall. It makes me feel like God." Aria laughed, wrapping her arms around Ezra's neck. She snuggled her nose into his neck, inhaling his old spice aftershave. She had gotten him it for his birthday two months ago, knowing he would love it.

Byron and Ashley exited their room, bags in tow. They spotted the happy couple walking down the hallway to meet them.

"Well aren't you two just adorable." Ashley laughed, taking yet another picture.

"Our bags are already in the truck, you just need to go get checked out." Ezra laughed after Aria pouted about being let down off her boyfriend's back.

"Alright, will you take our bags so we can go check out?" Byron asked.

"Yes, sir!" Ezra saluted. Aria laughed while Byron and Ashley just smiled.

"Ready for Virginia, babe?" Byron asked Ashley. She laughed and mumbled a quite yes.

**Guuuuyysss… this took me like a week to type. I have everything planned out, but I want to be like correct with all the places they're going to, so it takes me forever to type. All the chapters are pre-typed. That's why it took me so long to post. **

**It's not April 17, 2012, and my school year ends MAY 30****TH****! SO EXCITED!**

**Anyway, the way I have the chapters planned out is that even chapters (2,4,6,8,10,12) are going to be the drives and the odds (1,3,5,7,9,11) are going to be the longest because they are the full week. They only stayed in Jersey for two days, sort of, because I couldn't really find anything for them to do. I didn't want them going to Jersey Shore, I don't know why, but yeah. So, evens are short, odds are long. And by long, I mean like this chapter long, maybe even longer. And by short, I mean like my older stories chapter short. **

**I really hope you guys like this. Love you!**

**-Abby xoxo**


	2. Drive to Virginia

**Thank you for the reviews (:**

**Ezra is teaching at Hollis now, but it's the summer, and I don't know how college works seeing as I'm only 15, so I'm guessing professors have the summers off too. **

**Stephanie Carlisle, sorry, but I don't really ship Spian. I'm sorry ):**

**Kay; no, it's not how I view, I was trying to put it into the perspective of an older gentleman. & I'm sorry I didn't put all those things in the chapter. **

**HarryLovesGinney09; This story is the second part of a trilogy, the first part is called Love At First EMail, it's on my profile.**

**Hope you guys like this (:**

"I am so hungry." Aria whined in the passenger seat. It was well past midnight. They were on the West Virginia, Virginia border line and were about to pull into their hotel parking space when Aria woke up with her stomach grumbling loudly. Ezra was content with listening to her quiet snores and the radio down low, but then she woke up and turned grumpy.

"Aria, we'll be there in a little bit. Calm down." Ezra smiled, wrapping his arm around the back of her chair. "How about we play a game."

"Fine." Aria thought for a second then spoke. "I spy something pink."

Ezra looked across the blackened sky, the black highway that was lit only by a few yellow road lights, the black leather interior of the truck, the yellow vanilla air freshener dangling from the rearview mirror, even at his own wardrobe. He then glanced back at Ashley and Byron for a couple seconds in search of pink, even looking towards Aria, but she was only dressed in grey sweats and a green sweater. He twisted his face in confusion, then gave one last look around the cab then turned towards Aria who had a smile on her face.

"Okay, I give up. What could you possibly see that is pink?" Ezra said. Aria chuckled a bit, and then put on her poker-face.

"My stomach. My growling stomach that is pink and probably shrinking from lack of food, Ezra." She looked at him before busting out in a fit of giggles. Ezra shook his head before laughing himself.

"Well, we have another hour before stop. Maybe there's some granola bars or something in my bag. They should be in the side pocket." Ezra said. Aria took off her seat belt before twisting herself to reach behind her seat and grab Ezra's sports bag and digging through the pockets for food. She retrieved two chocolate peanut butter granola bars. She unwrapped both and handed one towards Ezra and he took gratefully before shoving half of it in his mouth.

"Well, babe." Aria inched closer towards Ezra, gradually placing her leg on his thigh, inching closer and closer. "My dad and Ashley are asleep."

"Aria." He groaned. Her hand moved up even farther causing an unwanted visitor to arrive in Ezra's shorts. He glanced back at Ashley and Byron who were still counting sheep in their heads. "Aria Lucille, if you don't move your hand, I'll be forced to-"

"Forced to what, Mr. Fitz?" She whispered in his ear seductively. She flipped up the middle seat dividing consol and moved closer to Ezra. She started placing butterfly kisses starting at his earlobe all the way down to his collar bone. Ezra's eyes closed and his head hit the back of the seat whilst Aria's hand was rubbing his inner thigh. He groaned when Aria started leaving bite marks behind his ear and on his neck. The truck started to swerve, but neither paid attention.

What Ezra and Aria didn't know was that a rabbit was searching for food for its million's of babies tiny little mouths. The little rabbit saw a berry bush across the highway. Taking a chance, as the bunny was so used to doing, he put one foot out on the highway then started thumping across. The bright headlights came out of nowhere and the rabbit tried to run away but the front left wheel put up quite a fight.

The truck ran over the rabbit causing a loud thump to occur. Aria and Ezra shot up from their positions, Ashley and Byron were forced awake by the sudden jump of the vehicle.

"What the hell was that?" Aria questioned, freaked out.

"Ezra, pull over." Byron said, putting his tennis shoes back on.

Ezra pulled the truck over and got the flashlight out of the glove box. He and Byron got out of the truck and started walking back. Luckily, it was dark enough that Byron couldn't see Ezra's little 'problem'.

"What the hell did I hit?" Ezra muttered to himself, shining the flashlight anywhere and everywhere. Ashley and Aria were sitting on the floor of the car, legs hanging out. Aria had handed Ashley one of the last granola bars in Ezra's pack. The last one would probably go to Byron, seeing as he would probably be driving the rest of the way.

Thankfully, it was almost three in the morning and there were almost no cars out on the road, so they had no worries of having to duck out of the way.

"Aria, turn the truck around and shine the lights over here." Byron yelled, seeing as the men of the group couldn't find the thing that they had hit.

Five minutes later, the truck was turned and all four were looking for the object they had hit. Aria screamed when she finally found it.

The dead rabbit.

She ran over to Ezra's and buried her head in his shirt, trying not to look at the bunny blood splattered all over the road.

"Shit." Byron muttered under his breath. He grabbed the light from Ezra's hands and went to check out the front tires of the truck, seeing as running over an animal could possibly hurt the interior. Ashley followed him, grabbing one of his sweatshirts out of the back and pulling it over her slim torso. Aria's eyes were filled with tears she looked up at Ezra.

"Ezra, we got to…we go to have a funeral." Aria sniffed. Ezra brushed hairs from her faced and bent down to kiss her forehead. She snuggled deeper into his arm.

"Okay, we'll have a bunny funeral." Ezra chuckled, holding Aria closer.

Just think; all this because Aria was horny.

**_break.**

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to mourn the passing of…" Ezra wondered off and looked towards Aria, who was done with the tears, but still sniffling.

"Thomas." She sniffed, grabbing Ezra's hand.

"The passing of Thomas the rabbit. Thomas had a great life; he mated, had millions and millions of tiny little bunnies, gathered foods, and brought them back to his family." Ezra smiled, realizing how ridiculous the two couples look, standing on the side of the road at almost four in the morning having a funeral for a rabbit in the middle of the highway. Aria's cough brings him back to reality.

"Thomas, will be missed, Thomas, will be loved. And Thomas, will be forgiving." Ezra finished. Aria kissed Ezra's cheek before walking glumly towards the car. She took off her slippers and crawled in the back seat, Ezra close behind. Ashley and Byron climbed in the front seat, turning the radio up a little to listen to the radio.

_All of these lines across my face tell you the story of who I am. _

_So many stories of where I've been, and how I got to where I am._

_But these stories don't mean anything, if you've got no one to tell them to. _

_It's true._

_I was made for you._

Brandi Carlile's _The Story _was playing softly throughout the car. Ezra wrapped a protective arm around Aria as she leaned into kiss the tip of his nose, silently going back to sleep. Ashley reached for Byron's hand, but he leaned across the seat and kissed her sweetly before turning back to the road and driving the next twenty minutes to the Best Western in Virginia.

**_break.**

"Hey, Ezra, we're here." Byron gently shook Ezra awake, repeating the same pattern as the previous last hotel visit. Ezra carried his and Aria's bag, Byron carried his and Ashley's bag as they all floated miraculously towards the entrance of the hotel. Aria slid into one of the seats in the lounge, waiting for Ezra to check them all in.

"Hey, Byron." Ezra whispered over to the elder. "Come here."

"Yeah, what's up?" Byron asked, leaning on the counter as the night manager check them all in.

"I didn't realize it was a problem for me and Aria to share a room before we got here, so I only got two rooms." Ezra ducked a little, hiding his face from the expected blow from Byron.

"Really? Alright, well. How about you promise that you will sleep on the pull-out couch, and we'll discuss sleeping arrangements in the morning? Plus, I don't think it'll matter to Aria if you're in the same bed or not, I mean look at her." Byron pointed towards his daughter, who was almost on the floor as her head was on the arm of the chair and her knees were almost touching the ground. She was _out. _

"Alright, well, here are you and Ashley's room keys and I'll just carry Aria if you get a bellhop cart?"

"Yeah, no problem."

_break.

"Do you think I'm doing a good job?" Byron asked Ashley that morning over breakfast. Aria and Ezra were still asleep, so the grown-ups decided to cherish this time.

"What do you mean?" Ashley asked, adding butter to her pancakes. She was dressed in a pair of shorts that showed off her young legs and a light blue button down tucked into them. Her hair was down and curled, the usual, with very little makeup. Byron was wearing an old Hollis t-shirt with khaki shorts and sandals while Ashley was wearing flats.

"I mean, was it wise of me to let Aria and Ezra sharing a room together? I mean, I know I can trust Aria, but can I fully trust Ezra to keep his hands off of her?" Byron asked before setting his fork and butter knife down harshly and folding his hands over his mouth.

"You trusted him driving while we were asleep, mind you, with Aria in the front seat with him." Ashley argued, sticking up for the teen. Ashley remembered when she found out that Caleb had been staying in their basement for weeks. All these kinds of thoughts ran through her head, like, had they gone all the way, had he taken advantage of her, had she taken advantage of him?

"I know. So, I am doing the right thing?" Byron questioned, reassuring himself.

"Byron, it saves money. If need be, I'll room with Aria so your over-controlling parental mind can take a break." She reached across the hand and patted his arm, before stealing a strawberry off his plate. "Anyway, as I said before, I'd be the same with Hanna."

"Ezra!" A squeal interrupted the peaceful breakfast they were having. They turned towards the unexpected noise and saw Ezra carrying a laughing Aria on his back. Her hands were covering his eyes and she was trying to direct him to the breakfast bar.

"Aria, this isn't getting us anywhere, is it?" Ezra laughed, almost running into a wall.

"Oh, hush, we're almost there." Aria laughed. "Oh crap! Go right!"

Almost running into a few chairs, tables, and walls, the two were finally seated next to Byron and Ashley who were laughing at the younger couple

"Babe, I'm going to get a plate. What do you want?" Aria told Ezra as she started to stand.

"Just get me what you're getting." Ezra told her before kissing her chastely, while a giant grinned crossed both their faces.

"Happy?" Byron asked before bring his coffee cup up to his face and taking a hefty gulp.

"Yeah, she makes me pretty damn happy." Ezra's smile got even greater, while Byron raised an eyebrow and Ashley chuckled into her plate. "I-I mean, I uh, we-we're just happy to get out of Rosewood and not have to worry about strangers giving us a disapproving look or nasty glare."

"I know, Ezra. Just giving you a hard time." Byron said, laughing into his cup as he took one more drink.

"NO! I told you I have a boyfriend!" Aria screamed, dropping her plate and turning towards the almost six foot man towering over her. The man had a good grip on her waist and was getting closer as Aria's rage raised. Ezra stood up and walked over to the man.

"Is there a problem here?" Ezra asked. Aria looked up at him with scared eyes as the man gripped her waist harder.

"No, man. Just talking with this sexy thing right here." The man winked at Aria before turning back to Ezra.

"Well, this _sexy thing _right there is my girlfriend. So I would appreciate it if you took your grimy hands off of her." Ezra clenched his hands in and out of fists, trying to keep his cool, but was literally failing as the man kept his hands on Aria, no matter how hard Aria tried to break free.

"I'll take my hands off her when she wants me to." The man said. He wasn't even all that good-looking. He had red hair; he was a little fit, but not by much. He had on a stained Nickleback shirt, torn Nike's, and too tight skinny jeans that didn't fit him. He had green eyes, he had dark freckles, and his teeth were brown; probably from drinking too much. Aria looked up towards Ezra again and nodded her head. His clenched fist came up hard and fast punching the man in the face. One of his teeth fell out and Ezra was sure that his nose was broken. His eye was already starting to blacken when his friends came over and tried to help him up.

"Come on, Aria. We can get food later." Ezra grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards the lobby.

Byron and Ashley finished their food, what little they had left, paid, and left.

_break.

"Are you okay?" Aria asked Ezra, who was sitting on the bed while she was in the bathroom fixing her makeup from the tears that had fallen when they got to their room. Ezra looked at his hand which hurt severely. He clenched it and unclenched to try and get the pain to go away but it didn't.

"You're seriously going to ask if _I'm _okay? That guy had a death grip on your waist." Ezra said, disgusted. Aria walked over and stood in front of him. She took his fist in her hand and brought up to her hand kissed it gently before setting it back down in his lap. Ezra put his hands on Aria's hips and pulled her closer. She winced.

Ezra lifted up her shirt saw bruises the size of the jerk's fingertips glowing darkly with purple and black. Ezra sighed and put his head down in his hands.

"Babe, it's not your fault." Aria said, making Ezra lift his head up.

"Yes it is, if I hadn't made you go up there, this never would have happened."

"First off, you didn't make me go up there, I offered. Secondly, you can't protect me from everything that happens, Ezra. I know for a fact that if we had gone up there together, he would've still tried to hit on me. And last, you hit that guy pretty hard. It was actually pretty funny to see his tooth fly out." Aria chuckled, trying to defend her own well-being.

"Yeah, that was pretty funny." Ezra admitted. He chuckled a little before resting his head on Aria's stomach, wrapping his arms around her waist. Aria played with his hair for a little while, making him groan as the tension from his head was relieved. They stood like that for what seemed like forever until a knock interrupted their peace.

"Come in." Aria released herself from Ezra's grip and strutted off towards the rest room.

"Are you guys okay?" Byron asked quietly. Ezra noticed that Byron and Ashley's bags were placed behind them and Ashley was talking animatedly on the phone.

"Yeah, we're just a little shaken up." Ezra said, rubbing his forehead. Aria came out of the restroom with her face free of makeup and her hair down in her natural waves. She crossed the room towards her bags and started rifling through them.

"What are you looking for?" Byron asked curiously; hand still on the door knob.

"My bathing suit." She mumbled. She finally found and walked over to Ezra, holding out her hand. Ezra realized what she meant and took off his _Better than Ezra _tee. Aria had gotten him the t-shirt when she went vintage window shopping almost a year ago. She saw the tee and went absolutely crazy. It was his birthday soon and so she bought it, wrapped it up, and presented it to him. His smile was enough to make her heart skip four times. He had never heard of the band, so they spent four hours searching for them. They found out that the band had originally formed in 1988 as a roots rock outfit with elements of country and punk. The group consisted of four students from Louisiana State University: Kevin Griffin playing guitar with vocals, Joel Rundell playing lead guitar, Tom Drummond doing some bass, and Cary Bonnecaze slamming the beat on the drums. But, unfourtanetly, the future of the group was put into doubt when Rundell committed suicide on August 8, 1990.

Aria and Ezra bought every album the band made and that band was _their _band.

Aria took the tee, a pair of shorts and her suit into the restroom, shutting the door behind her. Ezra head the water turn on and rubbed his hands through his hair.

"Are _you _okay?" Byron asked, more sternly than before.

"It just gets to me that I can't be there for her all the time." Ezra said, rage growing inside of him. He stood up and started pacing furiously with Byron staring at him. "I love her, Byron. I really do, but it just hurts me that half the time, she can't be with me where I can protect and keep her away from all the bad things. Like stupid, idiotic, immature, ass holes like that guy back there. He had his hands all over her. It just…it just pisses me off.

"Ezra, believe me, I know. I stayed with her the entire time on her first day of kindergarten." Byron chuckled a little, entering the room and sitting in the chair opposite Ezra. "She yelled at me all the way home. Heck, Ella…" he chuckled, before folding his hands and leaning forwards. "Ella, forbid me- forbid me! - To take Aria to school the rest of the year. She always knew what was best for the family." Byron smiled a sad smile, remembering Aria as a child, Ella doing her hair in pigtails and little braids all down her back.

"Byron, check out's in fifteen minutes." Ashley poked her head in and told the two gentlemen.

"Well, I guess that's my cue. I'll go check us out and be right back." Byron said. He got up to leave but turned back once he reached the door.

"To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing."

_break.

"Dad? Where's Ezra?" Aria asked her father when she stepped into their room.

"He's taking bags down to the car." Byron answered. He set his clothes down on the dresser and sat down on the bed. He patted the space beside him indicating he wanted Aria to sit next to him. Ashley was in the restroom taking a shower so Byron thought this was the perfect time to have a little one on one with Aria. "You know I love you, right?"

"Yeah, of course, Dad. Why?"

"You know that I'd be there to protect when anything happens, right?" Byron asked, moving a hair out of Aria's face, remembering back to when she was a little kid.

"Yeah, dad. Where are you going with this?" Aria asked, getting more confused by the minute.

"You and Ezra…haven't…you know…" Byron droned on.

"DAD! I don't want to have this conversation with you. I really don't." Aria sprung up from her seat and started to walk out of the room. She knew she should tell her father that they had slept together over eight months ago, but she couldn't.

"But…Aria. Wait." He stood up and stopped her. "You'd…You'd tell me, right?"

She hesitated a second. Would she really tell her father?

"Yeah, Daddy. I would tell you."

_break.

"Ezra, come here!" Aria shouted running down the path into the woods. The group had stopped at Tourist Park to stretch their legs and get some food. They had left the Best Western a little over five hours ago and had been driving ever since. Ashley and Byron were grilling vegetarian and regular hamburgers on the grill while Ezra and Aria roamed the park.

"Yes, Ms. Montgomery!" Ezra yelled after her, trying to catch her as she ran through the woods.

Ezra turned a corner and stopped. Aria was nowhere and sight. He had thought she turned this way, but apparently not. He started walking back.

"Aria?" He called out to the air. "Hello, Aria?" A twig snapped nearby and Ezra's heart sped up rapidly. "Aria, this isn't funny." He thought he heard breathing and leaves rustling. Another twig snapped and Ezra turned sharply to wear the sound came from.

"Ezzzz…" A faint moan said. Ezra started sprinting to wear it was coming from.

"Ezzzz…" It came again, only louder.

"Aria!" Ezra shouted, starting to become panic quickly. What would he tell Byron when he couldn't find his daughter? How would he cope? How would he get over this?

"Boo!" A figure jumped out from behind a thick tree and jumped on Ezra.

"Damn it, Aria." Ezra laughed. He fell down on impact and rolled over so he was hovering over her.

Ezra stared at her lips for what seem like forever. Aria leaned her head up and kissed his lips softly.

"Catch me if you can!" She scooted out from under him and ran towards the way they came.

"Aria!" Ezra sprang up and started running towards her again.

_break.

"Oh hey, Ezra. Where'd you go?" Aria asked when Ezra came back to the site. Aria was sitting at the picnic table eating chips while Byron was still flipping burgers. Ashley was talking on the phone again with crazy hand gestures.

"Oh, you know, nowhere." Ezra said, still trying to catch his breath. Sweat was seeping through his shirt and down his face, having run forever trying to find Aria again. He had been gone for about twenty minutes, probably sprinting a mile.

"Well, go change your shirt. The burgers are done." Byron said, pointing the spatula towards the truck.

"I'll be right back." Ezra kissed Aria on the lips before jogging back towards the vehicle.

"What did you do to that poor man?" Ashley asked, stealing a chip from Aria.

"Oh, you know, nothing." Aria laughed as her gaze stretched from the bag of lays towards the left where Ezra was taking off his shirt. He crumbled up the shirt and wiped down his abdomen to rid the sweat. He put deodorant on and went searching for a new shirt in the tornado that was his back pack.

Byron hit Aria on the head with a plastic fork.

"Turn around. Take a picture, it'll last longer." Her father said before setting down a plate of burgers in front of them.

"Oh, trust me. I will." She grinned, Ezra looked over at her and smiled.

_break.

"Hey, babe, will you look at the map and see which turn we have to take?" Byron question, taking his eyes off the road for a millisecond.

"I told you to let me buy a GPS, Byron. But, no, you never listen to me." Ashley mumbled, turning the map around. "Take a left on the next exit."

"Thank you, honey." He said sarcastically.

"Man, you guys fight like an old married couple." Aria laughed. They had been driving for a little over an hour after they left the park. Aria's head was placed in Ezra's lap with him making small, little, horrible braids in her hair with her bare feet hanging out the window.

"Well, maybe one day." Ashley smiled before leaning over and kissing Byron's cheek.

"Awe, how cute." Ezra laughed, making Byron and Ashley blush.

"We try." Byron added, not paying attention to road.

"Oh, damn it, Byron! You missed the exit!" Ashley yelled, slapping his shoulder.

**Okay guys, so I don't know how long every trip is, so I'm just planning everything to be 1-2 days. Also, maybe I kind of lied about the trip chapters being shorter. Ha.**

**They are going to these states, in order; Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Also, for like the "activities" and stuff, I don't know where everything is, so I'm just going to make them around the same location. **

**Thank you guys! (:**

**-Abby xoxo**


	3. Virginia Day 1 & 2

_**First Day…**_

After turning around twice and _re_-finding the exit, they finally made it to Virginia. But, apparently, there was a problem with the rooming, so they had one room, with two beds.

"Are you kidding me?" Byron asked, holding his wallet in his hand, slamming it against his forehead. "I specifically asked for two rooms."

"I'm sorry, sir. Would you like a refund?" The manager asked. He had the sickly sweet smile where you can tell that no one really cares.

"No." Byron sighed in defeat. "Just give me the key card." It was almost past midnight and everybody was too tired to fight for the benefit of doubt. Byron gave a keycard to Ezra and walked out of the lobby.

The four were staying in a sleazy motel this time. It was almost a whole in the wall; the quad got lost trying to find it on Main Street. Byron led the group towards their room.

"3b." Aria muttered. "Huh, what a coincidence." Ezra glared down at her, ending her laughter. It was awkward enough to be sharing a bed with his girlfriend when said girlfriends' father is right down the hall, but having him the same room totally broke the scale. "Sorry." She said quietly, letting her head drop.

The four passed out on the beds, Ezra sleeping on the floor, per Byron's wishes, with a pillow and blanket.

…

_**Second Day…**_

"Aria, you can shower first." Ashley said, setting her bag on the bed she slept on, and ruffling through her stuff.

"No, it's okay. I took a shower yesterday. All I have to do is brush my teeth, which I can do later." She said, letting Ashley take the shower first. Ezra walked over to the bed not occupied by Ashley's bag and sat down. He twisted his back, hearing all the bones and joints cracking from a very uncomfortable night's sleep. Aria had woken up in the middle and asked if they wanted to switch places or even come and share the bed with her, but he denied, not wanting to get on her father's bad side in the first real week of the vacation.

Aria lay down on the other end of the bed, reading one of the books she brought along with her. Ezra looked at the title and laughed.

"What?" Aria asked, setting her book down.

"Really?" He questioned, pointing towards the book, she was reading _To Kill a Mockingbird _for probably the thousandth time. Aria blushed and continued reading. After a couple minutes, Ezra checked his phone to see if he had any new messages from Hardy to see which girl he had that week. Hardy texted him almost every day and said that he had a different girl each night. How did he even graduate college? Oh that's right, paying Ezra in frozen burritos.

"Where'd my dad go?" Aria asked, looking around the tiny room.

"I think he went to get food." Then Ezra noticed the keys on the table. "Or not."

"Is he outside?" A giggled escaped from the bathroom, then a quite hush. Aria's mouth dropped, and then she started coughing uncontrollably. Ezra started laughing hysterically as he tried to help Aria. Soon, he fell off the bed breaking into more laughter.

"Is…Is your dad…and Ashley..?" He said in between laughs. Aria simply shook her head, unable to form words from her recent choking fit and the giggles that were consuming her body. Ezra stood up, adjusting his shirt and walked over to bathroom door.

"Ezra!" Aria whispered, still laughing. He put his fingers to his mouth and shushed her. He heard quiet moans coming from the other side of the door and quickly covered his mouth to stop the snickers escaping his lips. Ezra knocked on the door.

"Hey you two, Aria and I are going to get something to eat. We're going to bring you back a couple burgers. Twenty minutes!" Ezra yelled. They heard a mumbled okay and were out the door in a heartbeat. Aria was almost falling over with laughter while Ezra tried to hold her up.

"So, where we going to eat, Mister?" Aria asked playfully.

"I honestly don't even know. I just wanted to get the fuck out of there." Ezra laughed, looking down the highway at all the lights.

"How about Arby's?" She questioned. "I could go for some mozzarella sticks."

"Arby's it is."

…

"And how was your shower?" Aria asked Byron when she and Ezra walked back into the room.

"Perfectly fine." He blushed, ruffling his paper and taking the burger from Ezra's hand.

"I'm going to hop in the shower." He kissed Aria on the cheek and walked into the bathroom.

"I'm going to brush my teeth, let me just do that while you're showering." Aria muttered, walking behind Ezra.

"Aria..." Byron warned sternly.

"Oh, please. You and Ashley were _doing it _in the shower, I can brush my teeth." Aria said before shutting the bathroom door.

She quickly turned on the faucet while Ezra turned on the shower and undressed. They both thought the bathroom would be bigger, but when Aria turned around, tooth brush still in mouth, she ran face first into Ezra's pectorals. He gave a sly grin before she blushed and turned around. He unbuttoned his jeans and they dropped almost immediately after he undid his belt. Aria jumped a little when he felt his hands low on her hips and pressing himself against her back.

"You have no idea how hard it's been to control myself with your dad around." He whispered huskily in her ear, which made her eyes go wide and almost drop the tooth brush. Her face turned red before she reached around and removed his hands from her shorts.

"Get in the shower." She muffled, brushing her mouth harder, looking down in the sink. He kissed her cheek and hopped in the shower, removing his boxers behind the curtain.

"Girl, you got me trippin' on sunshine! God knows, you just made my day. Since you came around, no. I just can't slow down, no. I want to see you walkin' my way." Ezra sang melodically in the shower. Aria rolled her eyes at the song her picked. Yes, he had a great voice, but he rarely used it. Only in the shower, where Aria rarely went, besides now.

"Girl, you got me thinkin' bout diamonds! Gettin' down on one knee, maybe two. Oh lord. People may stop and stare, but I don't even care, no; just as long as I am with you." Aria hummed along with him, hoping he wouldn't hear her. She had heard this song before. This song was played at her mother and father's twentieth anniversary, right before they left. Ella was freshening up in the bathroom and Byron had turned on the radio. This song came on and Byron started singing to Ella very loudly and off key. Aria had the whole thing on video.

"You got me runnin' on sunshine! Ain't no clouds gettin' in my way! I must be runnin' on sunshine, ain't no ran getting' in my way." Aria shed a tear when she thought back to when her parents were happy; her parents were the light of the room. She wiped the tear away before spitting and watering down her brush and brushing once more.

"Girl, you got me actin' real crazy; chasin' tail like some old dog! Oh, I got this rocket in my front left pocket, ready to explode like a bomb!" Aria's eyes widened at the wording of the last phrase. She giggled but Ezra kept on singing.

"Somethin' tells me your name's Montgomery!" Aria laughed loudly. He had changed the words to make her name fit in, when it was supposed to say Lucy, not Montgomery. "'Cause everythin' keeps shakin' around. We can cut the rule, make these walls go boom, we can do this right here and now, now, now!"

Aria hit the shower curtain with her arm before Ezra could continue. He quickly poked his head and smiled that god awful smile that made Aria's knees go weak.

"Yes, m'lady?" He smiled, keeping his poker-face.

"You realize that my dad and Ashley are right outside? You're over here talking about us making walls go boom and cutting the rule. It's really inappropriate, Ezra Fitz." She teased, looking at the mirror.

"No, something inappropriate would be for me to ask you to strip down and join me." He smiled. Aria was gurgling water to get the taste of her cinnamon toothpaste out, but she turned and spit the phlegm covered, cinnamon tasting water at Ezra's face. He ducked behind the curtain before it could hit him, instead making a puddle on the ground.

"You're cleaning that up." Aria pointed out, cleansing her mouth with her Listerine once more before putting everything back into her make-up bag.

"Why don't you go pick me something out to wear and bring my toothbrush and I'll get right on that." He emphasized after washing the shampoo out of his hair.

"Why, I would love too." She opened the door and walked out, leaving Ezra in the shower and the door open.

"Well, Aria! Close the door!" Byron said, slamming his book down on the table.

"Relax, Dad. I'm getting his clothes and toothbrush, placing them on the sink, _and then_ I will shut the door." She huffed. Byron watched her walk over to Ezra's pack over the rim of his glasses. Ashley smacked him in the head with the paper causing him to take his eyes off Aria.

"Ow! What was that for?" Byron said, rubbing his forehead. Ashley smirked, unfolding the paper and started reading. When Byron looked back, the bathroom door was shutting.

"Ezra. I couldn't find an undershirt for you. But, I only got you that ACDC shirt, so you wouldn't have to worry about." Aria must've drown out the sound of the rest of the bathroom with her consistent blabbering, because when she turned around, she saw Ezra stark naked, drying himself with a white towel. She quickly closed her eyes. "Oh god, I'm so sorry." She tried to walk backwards, but ended up running into the toilet.

"Relax, Ar. It's not like you haven't seen me before." He wrapped the towel around his waist, stepping out and looking for his toothbrush. "Where's my tooth brush?"

Aria slowly opened one eye, hoping he was at least in his boxers; he was in his towel. _Close enough, _she thought. She took two steps towards his pile of clothes and picked up the blue and white brush that lay on top of his clothes.

"Right here, babe." She held it up while Ezra looked in embarrassed.

"Thank you, honey." He smiled before kissing her open mouthed. As a reflex, her hand went behind his head and his went onto her lower back. He dropped the tooth brush in the sink and wrapped his other hand arm around her, lifting her up and shoving her against the wall, gently. She moaned in response. She wrapped her legs around his torso and raked her hands down his back. He moaned that time.

Then there was a knock.

"Hurry up! We want to get to False Cape so we can get good parking!" Byron yelled still pounding on the door.

"Later?" Ezra mumbled against her lips, eyes still closed. She was lowered to the ground slowly, savoring the moment.

"Later." She finalized, fixing her hair in the mirror. She walked out first, letting Ezra get changed and brush his teeth.

…_**.**_

"Is this the turn?" Aria asked, peering out the window. There was a tiny sign off the left that said _FCSP, TURN RIGHT. _

"I'm thinking so." Ezra said, turning sharply, making the entire car grip tight to something close. Thank God everyone had their seatbelts on.

"Take a sharper turn, why don't you?" Byron sarcastically questioned making Ezra roll his eyes and mumble something incoherent. "What was that, Ezra?"

"Oh nothing, Byron. Just how I'm so excited for this trip." He smiled into the rearview mirror. Aria looked at him and smiled, gripping his hand a little tighter, reassuring to hold his temper until they're alone.

As much as Ezra loved and thanked Byron for letting Aria and he date and allowing them to go on this trip together, he got under his skin a little too much. Like this morning, Ezra was reading a book quietly while Aria and Ashley went to get something from the store; Byron came in loudly trying to start a conversation about sports with Ezra. Now, sure he was okay talking about sports and he really shouldn't blame him for wanting to talk, considering we're surrounding by nail polish and makeup 24/7, but it made Ezra ticked that Byron would waltz in and interrupt the man's reading.

Aria tuned out the rest of the car and cranked up the stereo when one of her favorite songs came on.

"On the other side of a street I knew stood a girl that looked like you. I guess that's déjà vu, but I thought this can't be true 'cause you moved to west L.A or New York or Santa Fe or where ever to get away from me." She started dancing around in her seat causing everyone to stare at her cautiously as if she were about to jump out the car and start break dancing on the side of the road. She just turned around and smiled, continuing.  
"Oh but that one night, was more than just right. I didn't leave you because I was all through. Oh I was overwhelmed and frankly scared as hell because I really fell for you. Oh I swear to you, I'll be there for you. This is not a drive by; just a shy guy looking for a two ply hefty bag to hold my love." Ezra started singing along at this point, throwing all his cares out the window, staring at the beautiful soul that was seated next to him.

"When you move me everything is groovy. They don't like it sue me! Mhm, the way you do me!" Byron's eyes widened when he heard this phrase, but the other three just laughed along as if it was nothing. "Oh I swear to you, I'll be there for you. This is not a drive by."

Byron lunged in the backseat towards the front and turned the radio down immediately.

"No more singing." He said grumpily before telling Ezra that they were at the park.

…

"I think your dad hates me." Ezra randomly said once they were separated from the adults. Byron and Ashley had decided to head towards the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center. They had agreed to pick up Ezra and Aria at six; in time for dinner.

"What makes you say that?" Aria questioned, adjusting her head on Ezra's chest to look at him. The two were laying down in the grass picking out shapes in the sky with a bag of Funyuns planted next to them.

"I don't know. He just…he's been acting weird this whole trip. I mean, you've stayed the night at my apartment before, and he knows that, but he won't let us stay in a hotel room together? Or like this morning, when you and Ashley went to the store to get…whatever you needed; I do not want to know; he was just being obnoxious like he wanted me to get mad at him. I just…I don't know. Forget I brought it up." He sighed heavily. Ezra felt as if he had to fight for his relationship even more now that they were out in the open. People were slowly coming to terms with the fact that the two were a couple, but even though Byron gave them his blessing, he still felt as if he had to prove that Ezra could date Aria even more.

"No, I can't just forget that you brought that up." She argued, putting a hand on his chest and pushing herself up, ready to defend their relationship. "If you supposedly think that my dad hates you, we need to talk about it."

"Aria…" Ezra complained. She knew that he was guarded when it came to talking through things. He never could find the right words and always ended up making things worse.

"Ezra…" She sternly complied. "I don't want to go all therapist on you, but how long have you had these 'feelings'?" She looked over at him while Ezra laughed. Aria always had the motherly nature about her, which she used more often than not.

"I don't know…probably since March?" He offered.

"March!" Aria yelled. "Ezra Michael Fitz! Why didn't you tell me sooner? I wouldn't have made you allow my dad to come if you felt this way!" She hit his chest and stood, her shorts falling slightly as she did. She pulled them up getting irritated when they shifted once again. Ezra stood on his knees, hands on her hips, talking.

"Aria, just forget it. It's stupid. If he hated me, we wouldn't be here."

…

"Byron, I'm going to go find a restroom." Ashley whispered in his ear as she walked towards one of the exits. Byron watched her walk away then turned back towards the fish tank they were currently at. They were at the crustacean exhibit. Byron had always been fascinated by insects crawling around on the ocean floor, especially the crab.

"Byron?" A familiar voice called from afar. Byron couldn't place it, but he whipped around towards the sound anyway. His eyes went wide.

"Meredith?" He said cautiously. He looked around for Ashley, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Byron! How are you doing?" She asked, grabbing him roughly into a hug. He barely wrapped his arms around her, being as it was awkward.

"I'm doing…well." He swallowed. "…and you?"

"Oh, just trying to get away from Philly for a while. Who knew we'd run into each other in Virginia!" She laughed. Byron glanced around once more for Ashley, but his patience was running short. His arms crossed over his chest in a defensive stance. Meredith had broken his heart, especially after Ezra and Aria had come out to them. He and Ella had talked forever about setting Aria and Ezra up before he graduated, but then he became her teacher; then the whole internet thing happened.

"Byron? Are you looking for someone?" Meredith interrupted his thoughts. Ashley still hadn't come out of the restroom and Byron was starting to get worried.

"Uh, yeah. My girlfriend." He mumbled. Meredith's face went stark white.

"Girl…friend?"

…

Ashley was having trouble finding the restroom in the big building.

"Ashley?" A deep voice called from behind her. She could remember that voice from anywhere. She lived with it for 15 years.

"Tom!" She twirled around, plastering a fake smile across her face. "How are you?"

"Great, Isabel and I are actually here for our honeymoon." He said, grabbing hold of the brunette's waist tightly. Both women eyed each other up and down quickly, dismissing any salutations to either.

"Oh, I'm actually here with Byron Montgomery, his daughter, and Ezra Fitz. You remember them right?" Ashley gestured around.

"Yeah! Man, that guy was a genius on the grill!" Tom laughed, bringing up and old memory.

Ella and Byron were celebrating Aria's 16th birthday and decided to have a cookout and invite friends and family. Everyone was invited. Byron had just bought a new grill and Ella was furious about, saying she wouldn't go near the thing. Byron had three panels of hamburgers going and was furiously flipping until one of the panels caught on fire and caused him to lose an eyebrow.

"Good times." Ashley murmured. The silence quickly turned awkward. Isabel coughed.

"Well, we better get back. We have reservations at the Cher Mirabelle. Let's go Tommy." Isabel patted his stomach before walking off.

"Tommy?" Ashley laughed.

"Yeah…" Tom chuckled. "Well, since we're all here, we should meet up for dinner sometime for a double date."

"Sure, we'd like that." Ashley smiled.

"I'll call you."

…

"Ezra, I think we're seriously lost." Aria said, gripping Ezra's hand tighter.

"We're not lost. We're just…disoriented." Ezra laughed, looking around at their surroundings. They were on their way back to the parking lot but evidently took a wrong turn, and ended up in the middle of the woods.

"Nice word, Fitz. It still means lost, dazed, and confused." Aria groaned. She had been walking in heels for about two hours and her ankles were swollen. She knew she should've worn flip flops.

"Someone finally cracked a dictionary." Ezra muttered under his breath, walking forward. Truth is; he and Aria were both irritable. Both thought that this trip was going to be a get away from life in Rosewood, but it seems as if life was catching up with their sanctuary.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" She huffed. She dropped his hand and turned to face, standing pliant.

He sighed before turning towards his girlfriend and apologetically speaking.

"Nothing, Aria. We've been walking around for hours with no cell service and we're both on edge. I'm sorry." He grabbed her hand again. "It's already past 7; your dad and Ashley are probably out here looking for us. Let's just stay here by the water and wait. This park isn't that big."

…

"I ran into Meredith today." Byron said as he and Ashley were looking for Ezra and Aria.

"I ran into Tom _and _Isabel." Ashley countered. She looked over towards the water and saw two figures sitting by the stream. "I think that's them."

"Wait, Ash." Byron pleaded. "Meredith…she's been….she's been weird these past six months. Ever since she and I split, she's become crazier. I think she's following on this trip.

"Byron, she's nothing I can't handle." Her hand stoked his cheek before reaching up and kissing his lips and walking away.

"Man, I love her." He whispered to himself.

…


	4. Virginia Day 3

_**Third Day…**_

"Where do you guys want to eat?" Byron asked the next morning at lunch. After the couples got back to their hotel, they ordered a pizza to share and had ice cream while watching Casablanca on Demand. Ezra slept with Aria in the same bed seeing as they both passed out in the middle of the movie. They all didn't wake up until eleven on Wednesday.

"I kind of want macaroni and cheese." Ezra stated, lying on the floor flipping through the pages of a random book he picked up along the way.

"Ezra, you can't live off of Kraft. You need real food." Ezra rolled his eyes while Byron and Ashley eyed them quizzically. Aria was quick to explain. "The guy has dozens of Mac and Cheese boxes filling his cupboards. Our dates usually consist of Mac Ala Mode or Cheesy noodles. It gets tiring." She laughed.

"Hey! It's easy and fast. Don't forget to mention edible." Ezra defended himself. He shot up from the floor and readjusted his shirt that was ruffled, and went to lie on the bed by his girlfriend.

"…and it makes you have cheesy breath, which you know I hate." She made a face and pushed him away.

"Well, Byron, don't eat too much, you have to save your appetite for your dinner with Isabel and Kate tonight." Ashley reminded the middle-age man. Byron internally groaned. "Don't start."

"Why do I have to go though? It's irrelevant. You don't like them, I don't like them. I know Isabel _doesn't _like you-"

"That's not the point. The point is that I and Tom have a child together and we need to come to terms with each other even if he has a scumbag hoe who's a gold digger." Ashley muttered into the magazine she was reading.

"Ashley, there's no need to talk like that."

"I can talk however I want to talk. I'm forty-one damn years old and I can control myself when I see fit, and one of those times is _not _now!" She yelled.

"We're just going to…yeah." Aria said while she and Ezra slipped out the motel door. Ezra gripped Aria's hand as they made their way towards the red vehicle parked three spaces away from their room.

"Promise me, that whenever I talk like that, you won't yell at me?" Aria asked quietly once buckled and seated in the car.

"Aria, you can do whatever you want." He grasped her hand again and kissed it gently before revving the engine and heading off towards a destination unknown.

…

Laying on the dock, side by side, hands entwined, they felt at peace. Aria and Ezra had been lying down for about three hours watching clouds transform to resemble animals or items.

"Look, a heart." Ezra pointed at the sky and stared at Aria in amazement.

"Hey, a pig." Aria laughed. When Ezra didn't answer, she turned towards him. He had been staring at her with hazed over eyes. "Ezra?"

"Do you have any idea how much I love you?" He asked huskily. Her eyes averted to his lips before quickly drawing back up to his electric blue orbs. Her face inched closer to his until they were millimeters apart.

Ezra's eyes closed, lips became puckered, and barely touched his girlfriend's lips before she whispered, "Catch me." Against his smooth Burt's and Bees chap stick covered mouth. Ezra's eyes shot open to find Aria sprinting, barefooted, through the field just yards away.

"Aria Lucille!" Ezra yelled before pouncing on two feet and galloping quickly towards her.

His strides were much longer than hers, but she still managed to be him to the truck that was park all the way at the bottom of the truck. Once she was opening the car door, hand on the lever, he trapped her from behind, making her turn around.

"You think you can get me turned on then leave?" Ezra smirked, making Aria break out laughing. Ezra looked down at her, his face contorted. "What?"

"Really, Ezra?" She laughed standing up straighter, covering her mouth. "You're really going to try foreplay now?"

"What?" He lowered his voice, bending his head to whisper in her ear. "Is it making you hot?" Aria giggled again.

"Oh yeah!" She whispered heavily. Ezra kissed her roughly, picking her up by the thighs and opening up the car door.

He tossed her in and within milliseconds he was on top of her with the door shut kissing every part of exposed skin he could find. Her hands teleported towards the hem of his shirt and quickly pulled it over his head, breaking the kiss barely. His hands went behind her back and pulled her into an upright position so she was straddling his waist while his hands were in her back pockets. Then Ezra's phone started ringing.

"God damnit." Ezra groaned before breaking the kiss and searching for the piece of metal.

"Ignore it." Aria whispered against his neck, slowly grinding on his member.

"I can't, it's your father." He scoffed once he found his phone. "Hello?" He answered.

"_Hey, Ezra, just calling to say that Ashley and I are leaving for dinner and that there is fifty buck on the table for your guys' dinner." _

"Oh, thank you, Byron. We were just thinking about getting a movie and some pizza."

"_Okay, just make sure to be back before dark. We're going to see a movie after dinner, so we'll probably be back around midnight." _

"Alright, bye Byron." Ezra muttered and stuffed his phone back into his pocket angrily. Aria had crawled off of his lap and looked out the window. "Hey, what's wrong?" He grabbed her hand, making her turn and face him.

"I just wish we could spend some time together without my dad checking up on us every second of every day. Yeah, I know that we have been alone together most of this trip, but it just gets frustrating sometimes when I can't even kiss you without having to worry about my dad calling you, you know?" Ezra lifted his arm and Aria snuggled cozily into the crook of his under arm. Before answering, he kissed the crown of her head.

"Yeah, but at least we were even allowed to take this trip." He tightened her grip on her even more. Her hand found its way under his shirt and start making small circles under his navel making butterflies appear in his stomach. Then his stomach growled.

"Want to get that pizza and movie?" Aria giggled.

"Yeah, let's go." Ezra smiled and unlatched the door.

…

"We should really do this again sometime." Tom said, shaking Byron's hand and then hugging Ashley.

"We really should. Hanna's in California until the end of the summer, so maybe in August." Ashley suggested, completely forgetting that Tom already knew.

"Yes, yes, we should." He looked at Isabel who was getting agitated just standing there. "Well, we have to go. Bye Ashley. Bye Byron!"

"Bye!" The couple said at the same time. Byron grabbed Ashley's hand and started walking towards the boardwalk.

"You want some ice cream?" Byron asked Ashley. She casually shook her head yes as he veered them towards the Dip N' Dots stand on the corner.

"Can I have chocolate?" Ashley asked, leaning into Byron's arm.

"Anything for you, honey." He kissed the top of her head and ordered.

"Byron?" A voice from afar yelled.

"Oh my, not again." Byron sighed, rubbing his head with his hand.

"What?" Ashley whipped her head around and spotted a blonde jogging towards them. "Really?"

"Byron? Is this fate or are you just following me?" Meredith asked pulling ear buds out of her ears. The blonde was donned in a black and pink jog suit with the jacket unzipped, showing a white tank and an obvious push-up bra.

…_or you're following us. _Ashley thought.

…

"Ezra, if we ever get married, and I lose my memory, please swear that you'll never give up on us." Aria sniffled. The couple had just got done watching The Vow and was bawling her eyes out. Ezra couldn't help but chuckle a little at the incoherent words his girlfriend had been blubbering the entire film.

"I swear on my first edition, signed copy of To Kill a Mockingbird." He said with sincerity.

"Oh, how special." Aria mocked. She laughed before screaming when Ezra's hands touched her sides. Ezra moved so he was straddling over top of her, grabbing her fists in one of his giant hands over her head, moving his fingers around her abdomen making her gasp for breath.

"Take it back!" He yelled, still towering over her. Aria's face was turning red and her eyes were shut tight. Her mouth was opening and closing like a fish gasping for water. "Take it back, Aria!"

"I…" she laughed some more. "I take it back!" She finally screamed. Ezra stopped tickling her, but still kept her hands above her head. He looked down lovingly into her eyes and kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Aria." He whispered after he lay back down and cradled her into his arms. She turned around and pecked his lips.

"I love you, too." He kissed her once more, but this time with more passion.

What were to be little pecks turned into tonsil hockey in the queen-size bedding. After about twenty minutes, Aria needed to breathe.

"Ez...Ezra." She tried to catch her breath, but her heart was beating about a million times a minute. "We need to stop; my dad could get home any minute."

"You…You're right." He sat up on the bed and ran a hand threw his hair. He looked down, realizing his shirt was not on his back. "Ar?"

"Yeah?" She said nonchalantly.

"Where the hell is my shirt?" Ezra laughed, looking around the room.

"I didn't even realize I took it off of you." She said awkwardly.

"Oh well, I'll just change into my sleep wears." Ezra said more to himself than to Aria.

"Sleep wears? Who says that?" Aria laughed. She threw the blanket back and started searching through her bag for a pair of sleep shorts. After she found her M&M ones, she took off her jean shorts and slipped them over her underwear clad bottom.

"Apparently I'm the only one." He muttered. He had already pulled on a pair of workout shorts and slipped in between the sheets. "Ready to join me?" He patted the spot next to him in his goofy, seductively way.

"You, my darling, are a giant dork."

"But, I'm your dork." He smiled that cheeky smile that makes everyone's heart drop.

Aria laughed before walking slowly over to the bed. She spotted a white fabric over by the mini-fridge.

"Hey. I found your shirt." She laughed before walking the fifteen feet to grab it. "I didn't know I could throw fabric that far." She took her shirt off and threw the Lakers tee over her pale skin.

"Well, you'd be pretty surprised what you can do when you're horny." Ezra laughed before getting wacked in the face with a pillow. "Ow! Don't mess up the face!"

"Please." Aria scoffed. She crawled under the blankets and wrapped her arm over Ezra's abdomen and cuddled up under his blanket. After closing her eyes and settling down, Ezra interrupted.

"Aria, babe." He whispered. Aria moaned in response. "Who's going to turn the lights off?"

"You are." She mumbled before rolling over and claiming the only pillow currently on the bed as her own. She felt a lift in the bed as Ezra got up and turned down the lights. Two seconds later, she felt a bigger dip that made her roll over and smack into Ezra's bare chest. "Ow. My face."

"Sorry, I didn't know my abs were rock hard." He laughed before knocking his fist on them.

"Don't be so over confident." She laughed sleepily.

"Good night, beautiful." He whispered in her ear as his arms wrapped around her small waist. She felt a kiss on her neck and his head wind up on top of hers.

"Good night." She laughed.

…


	5. Virginia Day 4

_**Sorry for the inconvenience. This has NOT been updated, just adjusted. **_

_**Fourth Day…**_

After their encounter with Meredith, Ashley and Byron decided to skip the movie and head to a bar instead.

Now, both drunk off their asses, Byron rented a separate room from Ezra and Aria, and well…things happened. Things that Aria will be scarred for life just thinking about it.

"Ezra? Where's my dad?" Aria asked after she got out of the shower that morning.

"I have no clue." Ezra said, lacing up his converse.

"Did he and Ashley come back last night?" She questioned, towel drying her hair.

"I don't know, let me see if the truck's still here." He tied his shoe and stepped out in the hall. "Yeah, it's here."

"Here, give me your phone." She exclaimed, flopping down on the newly made bed. Ezra took his iPhone out of his pocket and handed her the white device. Aria tapped a few buttons and held the phone up to her ear.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey, where are you guys?"

"_Uh, we're in a room a couple doors down."_

"Why? Wait. Dad, ew!"

"_You asked. All I did was giving you the location."_

"This is disgusting."

Aria clicked end on the phone and gave it back to Ezra.

"What?" Ezra asked putting swim trunks in a gym bag and looking for a towel.

"Dad and Ashley are two rooms over. _Together." _Aria shuddered and sat up. "What are you doing?"

"Well, my love, today, we are going to Virginia Beach and we're going to Ocean Breeze Water Park." He smiled, still searching for a towel. "Where the heck are the towels?"

"In the truck." Aria laughed. "Are we going to tell my dad?"

"How about you go get your bathing suit and we can just get them on the way." Ezra explained.

"Alright, I'll go get changed."

…

"What do you want to ride first?" Ezra asked Aria. Both were in swim suits; Aria in a strapless bright yellow bikini with ruffles on the top and Ezra in a light blue trunk that hung low on his hips, showing off a nature trail and his toned abs.

"I…I don't know." Aria said, squeezing Ezra's wet hand. They had been at the park since about noon, and it was now two-thirty. They first had lunch at one of the many kiosks' set along the water park. Then they chilled out in the hot tub while Byron and Ashley chose to head to the actual Virginia Beach and hang out in the beach sand. "I've never really been on a water coaster before."

"Really?" Ezra asked her, shaking his curls out of his face. She slowly nodded her head. "Well, then let's go on one together. Let's get to the Earth Shaker. I'll find us a tube."

Aria nodded, before following Ezra towards the slide. He picked up a two-seater yellow tube and started climbing the wet stairs that lead to the thrill ride. Thankfully, it was a Wednesday and not many kids and their parents were there.

"Ar, you got to be forty-two inches tall to ride." Ezra joked, pointing towards a sign at the top. "Are you tall enough?"

Ezra was met with a smack on his chest. "Oof!"

Aria chuckled silently before realizing how high up they were.

"Aria, you're going to be fine. It'll be over in like three seconds." Ezra calmed her, taking his hand from hers and rubbing it up and down her now dry back.

"You're right, let's do this." Aria determined.

"Next!" The teen lifeguard yelled. Ezra looked to Aria and walked forward still gripping her hand. He put the tube in the slide entrance and waited for Aria to get on.

"It'd be safer if she got in back. Plus, more weight in front makes the ride go faster." The teen said. After hearing this, Aria quickly got on the back and gripped the sides severely. Ezra laughed and got on the front, lifting his legs to the sides until the guard said they were ready.

"Ready, set." He yelled; Ezra grabbed Aria's legs, smiling. "GO!"

Ezra let his legs drop and they started speeding down the slide. A sudden drop came and Aria screamed loudly causing Ezra to laugh again. There were a lot of sudden jerks and turns and Aria kept screaming on.

"We're almost done babe!" Ezra screamed over the rush of the water. Aria's toes curled indicating she was scared out of her wits. Ezra started rubbing her legs up and down to try and calm her. It didn't work.

When the ride came to a stop and they fell out the tube into a shallow pool of water, Aria hopped out and started walking as fast as she could in the water. A guard came over and got the tube while Ezra tried to catch up with Aria.

"Aria! Wait!" Ezra yelled. He stepped out the pool and saw her standing by the stairs with her arms across her waist, head down. He quickly padded over to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Babe, it's okay, you're sa-"

"What the hell are you doing? Get another tube, we're going again!" Aria smiled, pushing Ezra toward the tubes.

"This is why I love you." He blew her a kiss while he went to get another yellow inflatable.

…

"Byron?" Ashley mumbled, digging through her canvas bag. "Will you rub sunscreen on my back?"

"Of course. Anything for you." He grabbed the lotion from her hand and squirted a dime size into his palm. Ashley pulled her hair over her shoulder and let Byron work his magic.

"So, I've been thinking about yesterday, with our little run in with Meredith." She paused, making sure she'd phrase right. "Maybe you should get a restraining order against her."

"Those aren't easy to come by." Byron said, rubbing her shoulders. "I know I should, but I don't think it'll stop her."

"What do you mean?" Ashley asked, turning her head around. Byron sat his hands down, wiping the left over lotion on the towel. "Are you going to put sunscreen on? You really should."

"No, I'm fine." He sat cross legged in front of her before continuing. "But, I mean, she has this sense about her. It's what made me fall in love with her. She will seem all nice, and innocent, but when you know her well enough like I did, you will see her entire demeanor change. I don't know what I saw in her." Byron explained, shaking his head and leaning back.

"Hey, it's fine. All that matters now is that you have me and I'm not willing to back down to some twenty-four year old." Ashley smiled, folding her arms over Byron's chest and laying her head down.

"I love you so much." He laughed, leaning up to kiss her.

…

"Ezra, it's almost nine. I'm ready to go back." Aria shivered, complaining to Ezra.

"One more ride babe. This is it. The ride of all rides. The mother of all things scary." Ezra smiled. They had wondered over to the adventure park after they got tired of getting soaked everywhere they went and starting riding coasters. Ezra had taken Aria on a couple kiddy rides and bought her an elephant ear. Aria had loved all the rides and even got her picture with one of the characters from Peanut. Her skin was a honey tan and Ezra's back was like a lobster but that didn't stop him from going on the thrill rides.

"Please, Ezra. For me?" Aria begged. She walked closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "If we go back now, we can probably get a room to ourselves." She whispered seductively, trying to tease him into leaving.

"Aria, that's not going to work. Besides, we're at the front. It's a seventeen second ride. We're doing this." Ezra finalized, watching the gates open and walking towards their coaster cart. Aria huffed and walked hastily over to the cart and buckled herself in next to Ezra. "You're going to love this."

Aria looked up and realized how high up the top of the coaster was. It was at least a mile high. Ezra, earlier, was rambling on how fast it went. Apparently up to one hundred twenty miles in three point five seconds. Now the butterflies appeared.

"Ezra, is this even safe?" Aria asked as the coaster attendants starting clearing all the carts.

"Of course it's safe. We have seat belts, a leg bar, and these things." Ezra accentuated the overhead restraints that rested on his shoulders. Aria gave him a weary look before turning towards the coaster again, in awe of its height. "Aria, babe, you'll be fine."

A ding went off over head and the car started moving slowly towards the track. A stoplight was shown a head; a red light, three yellow lights, and a giant green light. Ezra started counting down as Aria clenched her body and shut her eyes tight. Ezra was counting from a distance as Aria tried to think back to her childhood years when her and Mike would play hide and seek and she'd hide in the hamper in parents room and she was never found.

When Ezra hit one, Aria started screaming as the coaster took off at one hundred and twenty miles in three seconds. Ezra was laughing and looking over at Aria. When they hit the upside down turn at the top, Aria sucked in a breath and screamed more. Ezra grabbed her hand that was turning white from the hold she had on the restraint. Aria was lost in her whole little world of fear concentration as she was trying to focus on the thought of Mike's face when he finally found her. She felt her stomach drop to her bladder and the sound of hydraulics in her ear. The ride finally ended and the two stepped out and Aria went to the restroom.

When she walked in, there were flies all over the seat. Even though disgusted, she went on with her business. She finished and washed her hands, making sure to sanitize any way with the portable Germ-X she always carried, and walked out to find Ezra.

Aria saw him sitting at a picnic table with some blonde hanging all over his arm. He was laughing loudly and she was leaning in to whisper something in his ear, and he laughed even louder. She thought she was overreacting; then she saw the worst thing ever. The blonde kissed Ezra.

…

"Did I or did I not tell you to put sunscreen on?" Ashley complained as Byron was soaking in a cold tub trying to soothe the lobster skin he had. "And you wonder why I nag so much."

"Yeah, I know. You nag because you care. La-di-dah." Byron mumbled. Ashley whipped her head around and gave him a stare he couldn't turn away. "I'm sorry, babe. I just have a headache and my back aches and…I'm sorry."

"You should've put sun screen on." Ashley yelled over her head and walked out of the bathroom, shutting the door quietly while Ezra came in the main door slamming it loudly.

…

"_Are you having fun?"_

"Yeah, I actually am. It's good to get away from Rosewood for a while."

"_A while? Aria, you're going to be gone for like two months. Practically the entire summer!"_

"Why do you think we had that girls' night before Hanna took off for Cali and I took off for the beach?"

"_Yeah, I guess you're right. But Emily's off saving Haiti's homeless and I'm stuck here taking college classes." _

"Wait! When did Em leave for Haiti?"

"_She told us, you were probably just to waste to remember. You were right, those drinks were strong." _A low chuckle came from the other end.

"Aria?" A voice interrupted her conversation. She looked up at saw Ezra standing with the door open.

"_Aria? You there?" _

"Yeah, I'm here, Spence. I got to go. I'll call you later?"

"_Later."_

Aria pressed the end button on her phone and set it in the cup holder next to where her head was lying. She looked at the ceiling before putting her bare arms over her eyes. Ezra realized that Aria wasn't going to be moving so he shut the backseat door and climbed in the front passenger side. He got in, lifted up the middle console and stretched his legs out.

They stayed like that for hours. Byron came out once or twice to check on them. The cab was filled with silence, tension, and anger. Aria had fallen asleep but Ezra had stayed awake.

_Yes, she kissed me, but Aria didn't watch long enough for me to push her away and tell her I have a girlfriend. Why can't Jackie understand that I don't want to be with her? Yes, she died her hair and got colored contacts; she always knew I liked hazel eyes, but that doesn't change the way I feel about her. Aria has something that Jackie will never have. Why can't she see that?_

Aria groaned and rolled over, causing Ezra to look over and watch her slowly breathing uncomfortably on the too small back seat. He sighed before getting out of the car and walking over to Aria's side and taking her out. He cradled her head like a baby and walked over to the motel door. It was only midnight, he was sure Byron or Ashley was awake. He knocked on the door with his foot and sure enough, Ashley opened up the door in her silk pajamas letting the feuding couple in.

"Is she okay?" Byron asked, putting down _Of Mice and Men, _the book he was currently outlining for his semester classes.

"Jackie was at the park. We were talking, she kissed me. I pushed her away. Aria got over worked before I could explain anything. She's still ticked." Ezra explained quietly. He walked over to the other side of the room and laid Aria on the bed. He took her shoes and jewelry off. He walked back out to the truck and grabbed all her things and brought them back before laying them on the table that was suited in the middle of the room. He pulled the covers over his girlfriends' body before slipping his own shoes off and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I'm going to get in the shower. I won't bother you two, will I?" Ezra asked, completely exhausted.

"No, no. Go ahead, son." Byron said, smiling. Ashley sat back in the bed with her laptop on her lap typing furiously away. Ezra grabbed shorts out of his bag and headed towards the restroom. Byron and Ashley waited for the shower to turn on before they started talking.

"Who's Jackie?" Ashley asked.

"Jackie is a problem. She is Ezra's ex-fiancé and she broke it off with Ezra about a year and a half ago. She has been trying to break Ezra and Aria up ever since she found out they were dating. She is absolutely crazy. She's a philosophy professor at Hollis." Byron explained.

"Oh." Ashley mumbled. She thought for a moment. "Ezra was engaged before?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't like to talk about. Something about trust issues and stuff."

"Oh." The shower turned off and Ezra walked out with nothing but shorts on and a towel running through his damp hair.

"I'm going to sleep in the truck tonight." Ezra mumbled before walking out the door and quietly shutting it.

**PLEASE READ! MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH!  
Okay, so you guys have seen that I have changed up the chapters. I'm really sorry if this is confusing, but I thought that I would make things simpler and more together instead of having like two ten thousand word chapters than having several 3,000 word chapters. **

**I'm changing the chapters around to where they are split by days. If the day is short enough, I will double up. So basically, one state is a couple of chapters long. Five maybe. **

**Hey guys! Sorry for the really late update! But, I updated **_**My Heart With You **_**and I uploaded a new song fic! That collection of stories is just for when I get really bad writers block and need to write something new to clear my head. It won't be updated that often.**

**This chapter has to be split in two. When I typed it out, it came out to 34 pages and over 17,000 words. I didn't think I could type that much! Maybe it was all your guys' reviews? Hmm… (:**

**Now, to the reviews!**

_**THANK YOU TO **_** the 5 anonymous reviews, to .dreamers, ihavesecrets, solitudemylove, princessjasmine12, and wantstowriteforyou for the encouraging words and the begs to update! **

**Caligurl28- I know! I hate Byron's protectiveness, too! But I wanted to make him a little more realistic to what he is in the show instead of being like, "Yes! I totally am okay with by 17 year old daughter sharing a room with a 23 year old grown man who is not a virgin!" It's a little weird in my opinion. Ha. Thanks for the review!**

**Ducygirrrrrrrrll32- You have a lot of 'r' in your name. Ha. But yes, I tweeted Sara Shepard for the girls' middle names, but she never got back to me. So my cousin, who reads these stories too, told me just to use Lucy. I tried it and it actually sounded right with it. Thanks for the review!**

** .heart- Same as the above; my cousin, who reads these stories too, she made up that part! Ha. Thanks for the review!**

**Update will becoming either tomorrow or tonight. Still have to edit the second part.**


	6. Virginia Day 5

_**Day Five…**_

"_Aria. You know I love you! Why are you acting like this?" Ezra yelled into the rain. _

"_Because I _love _you! That's why! I can't let you throw away the life you planned in order for you to just give up and be with me. That's not the way it's supposed to be." Aria screamed back at him, looking down the road for the Greyhound she was waiting for._

"_Aria, my life is you. You, Aria Lucille, _are my life._" He whispered as he walked closer to her. He took her hands in his and she didn't deny. "I know things haven't been perfect, but what is? We need to work to be together. You can't just give up when things get hard! You have to fight through them. You have to work and work, and yeah, you might just want to crawl into a little corner and cry so hard you forget the world, but oh fucking well! We have to fight for our love! I love you!" He screamed at her._

"_Ezra." She whimpered. The hard rain falling down from the black night sky was fading her tears away. She furiously wiped at her face as if Ezra could see the salt water dripping from her eyes. "No matter how much I love you…" The bus was inching towards her. "We can't keep going on with this charade. It's not going to work out in the end. Ezra…"_

_She started walking away towards the opening of the grey bus that would take her to Sacramento, her dream town. The doors squeaked open and she walked up the three steps towards the bus driver. Before handing him her ticket, she turned around and spoke. "Ezra, I'm sorry." Then the bus took off._

_Those three words repeated in his head over and over again._

"_Ezra, I'm sorry."_

"_Ezra, I'm sorry." _

_They became louder and clearer and the sound of rain had vanished. Ezra's rainy world became a black whole of despair as the words chorused over and over._

"_Ezra, I'm sorry." _

"_Ezra!"_

A loud noise woke him from his nightmare. He was drenched in sweat and his shirt was soaked through. He looked over and saw his phone on the ground underneath the driver's side seat and his book wedged between the cushions in the back. He looked around the cabin, wiping the drench off his face. Then he feels a gust of wind after he takes off his shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow.

"Are you going to look at me like that or are you going to accept my apology?" A girl questioned.

"Aria?" Ezra asked groggily. She was dressed in her clothes from last night, her hair in a messy bun, and face free of make-up. She looked _flawless. _

"I'm the only one awake at five in the morning." She laughed. "I was thinking we can go get coffee and donuts and…you know, talk." She smiled a nervous smile. Ezra didn't quite understand was going on still, was she still mad at him or was she willing to work through this bump? "Ezra, come on. Get a shirt on and let's go. It's cold out here!"

She wrapped her arms around her shoulders and jumped up and down. Ezra sat up straighter and did what his instinct told him to; wrap his arms around her small form. She tensed at first then leaned into his naked chest and smiled.

"I'm sowwy." She mumbled in the baby voice she rarely used. His arms tightened around her as forgiveness and she snuggled into his chest deeper. After a couple minutes, Aria spoke again. "Ezra?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"Okay, I know we just made up and everything, but it's like five thirty and I'm freezing my arms off over here. And you have outrageously large goose bumps." She giggled. He released her and looked down at his body. She was right, they _were _outrageously large.

"I'm going to go get changed and grab you a sweatshirt." He smiled before jogging over to the door.

"Be careful, dad and Ashley are still sleeping." She laughed.

…

"So…" Aria laughed at how nervous and awkward they both were being. Her hands were wrapped around the Styrofoam cup that enclosed her pumpkin spice chilled latte. Both were facing each other in the cab of the truck because they were too shy to talk in the empty brewery with the three patrons staring at them.

"So." Ezra laughed as well. He had ordered a regular black coffee and added about three pounds of sugar into the sixteen ounce container. He extended his back and Aria cringed as she heard the cracks and pops sound from his spine. He laughed at her expression. "Sleeping in a cramped backseat really messes up the bones."

"Yeah, sorry about that." She whispered regretfully. "I didn't…I mean, we..." She inhaled before giving an embarrassed chuckle. "I don't know, honestly."

"It's not your fault. You were out by the time I carried you into the room."

"Ah, and here I just thought I teleported to the bed." The couple shared a laugh that seemed to relieve the tension. But once things got quiet again, the tension built.

"I actually meant sorry about overreacting. I didn't know what I was thinking. I know you wouldn't cheat on me. Add the fact that you're on a six week trip with me and my father, you definitely wouldn't have an infidelity like that." Aria apologized. She put her head down and let her loose hair that had fallen out off her bun shield her face. Ezra's hand brushed the strands out of her face and tucked them behind her ears.

"Hey, look at me." He whispered. She finally looked up and her eyes were filled with salty tears that had no right being there. "Aria, there's no reason to cry. I'm right here and I'm never leaving you."

"I know, Ezra. It's not that. I just…I feel like I'm too juvenile for you. I over react way too much and I take things way to seriously and…" She inhaled sharply and let a couple tears fall over before wiping them away, not letting Ezra see. "I feel like I'm not good enou-"

"Aria, shut up." He said, interrupting her sentence. Aria's face was full of shock and stupor. She opened her mouth to say something to but ended up closing her mouth, not being able to come up with a reply. "Don't even _think _you're not good enough for me. You _are not _juvenile. If anything, you're older than me! So don't you dare for one second say you're not good enough for me. I love you, that is never going to change."

Aria stared at him for what seemed like years. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

Her eyes had a glint in them as the two stared at each other. After what seemed like an eternity, Ezra started to lean in close to Aria's porcelain face. Aria inched closer towards him as well and soon they're lips were millimeters apart. Ezra lifted his eyes up to her hazel orbs before shifting them towards her full, pink lips. Aria's breath caught in her throat as Ezra's mouth quickly attached to hers. Their mouths moved in a ridiculously fast motion, somehow keeping in sync with one another. Ezra's arm wrapped around her waist as her hand wandered to the back of his neck, gripping on the collar of his shirt. He used his arm to pull her closer to his abdomen, wanting to feel her body against his. Her fingers travelled to the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head while his hands slid down the edges of her jacket. Once her jacket was off, he pulled her over to his seat, gripping her shorts tightly. Her hands ran down his abs, causing him to shiver without notice. Aria's hands gripped his belt before undoing the metal keeping it together.

"Aria..." He moaned as her lips made butterfly kissed down his jaw. "Aria…stop." He quivered.

Aria stopped what she was doing and looked straight at him. Her facial expression twisted almost immediately from rejection to confusion to recognition. "It's not that I don't want you to stop, I want to go further, but I don't think the cramped backseat of truck is very romantic." Ezra explained.

"Yo-You're right. Even though this isn't our first time, we acted on a whim last time. I want this to be serious." She nodded, handing him his shirt. He slipped it back on but not before buckling his pants.

"You want your jacket back?" He asked, holding the fabric in his hands. She looked at it before blushing.

"No, no. I'm way too hot for that now. "She laughed. Ezra chuckled before finding his cup again and taking a sip.

"Ew." He grimaced. "It's cold." He looked at Aria's before looking back at her again. "Want me to go get us new ones?"

"Well, first of all. You took a sip of mine, and it was chilled in the first place. So, if you want to go get another for you, go ahead. Second, get me a donut while you're in there." She set the cup back in her hands before seeing a smile Ezra off into the store. When he got back, it was still dark out, him being gone only five minutes.

"Want to go watch the sun rise on the beach?" Aria suggested, realizing her dad and Ashley wouldn't be up for another hour or two.

"Yeah, let's go." Ezra smiled, taking hold of Aria's hand.

_**...**_

"Byron." Ashley whispered at six thirty that morning, shaking him gently. "Byron!" She hushed a little louder, moving him harder. Still no movement. "Byron!"

"Huh? What?" He shot up quickly and was still in a sleepy daze when he finally came too.

"Where are Ezra and Aria?" She asked quickly. Byron looked around the small room, not seeing the kids anywhere. "They probably went to get breakfast or something. Just go back to sleep Ash." He mumbled before rolling over and letting sleep over take him once more.

"Are you sure? They had a fight last night, they might be ripping each other's throats out or Aria might be dumping his body in the ocean or something. They could be in trouble!" Ashley emphasized. Never had she been this worried about a kid that wasn't hers. But ever since they started this trip, she felt as though the other three patrons had become her second family. Yes, Hanna would always be her first and foremost priority, but right now in this moment, her motherly nature showed completely.

"Ashley, Aria is _not _dumping Ezra's body in the ocean. They are capable of driving around by themselves in the early morning. They have their phones and the truck. They're _fine." _He sighed. "If anything, _I _should be the one worrying. A twenty-three year old man has taken my seventeen year old daughter for a joy ride in the bright morning; but do you see me worrying? No, you don't." He smiled and kissed her cheek. "Now go back to bed, sweetie."

"Al-alright." She mumbled, still worrying about the other two. She laid her head back down on the flat pillow and pulled the covers up to her shoulders in the dark. Seconds later, she felt a hand come across her waist and nose bury in her hair.

_Where were those kids?_

…

Ezra and Aria were huddled in each other's arms in the bed of the truck watching the sun rise. Ezra had found a secluded beach just twenty minutes away from the coffee shop and was currently pulled into the parking lot. Aria would let out a yawn every once in a while, which would cause Ezra to grip her small body tighter.

"Ezra?" Aria mumbled, in a haze of her own. She moved her head so it was laying on his pectoral, facing him in the almost full sunlight. He leant down and kissed her forehead before answering.

"Yes, my love?" He asked quietly. She smiled at the name use.

"We should go for a swim?" She offered, with a mischievous look in her eyes. Ezra looked down to see if she was serious, and oh boy, _she was._

"Really?" He questioned surprisingly.

"Yeah, come on!" She laughed before springing out of his arms and over to the beach. She started stripping off clothes, seeing as she didn't have a bathing suit, and throwing them simultaneously on the sandy ground.

"Aria! Keep your clothes on!" Ezra yelled after. She stopped and turned around, bra-clad.

"Do you see me with a bathing suit anywhere?" She waited for his response. Not receiving one, she walked slowly up to him and started taking his clothes off for him. First pulling his shirt off, then moving to his belt, undoing and unbuckling his pants, letting them drop. "No, you don't. So slip off your pants and get in the water with me, _Mr. Fitz." _She whispered seductively before running off to the salty water.

Ezra couldn't get his pants off fast enough. Left in only his briefs, he started sprinting towards the water. Aria was already out to where she couldn't touch, seeing as her five two height only stretched so far, he was able to touch with his toes.

"Save me, save me!" She mocked, going under the water. Ezra dove under, catching her waist in her palms. His eyes opened and he kissed her under the clear, salty ocean. Not being able to stay under much long, she wrapped her legs around his waist and let him carry them upwards. She smiled into the kiss and let her hand wander up to the top of his head and pushing his damp hair back, making it spike. He laughed at the feeling of the hair on his neck standing up from her touch, his ribs getting tickled, his stomach becoming smaller, and his legs shakings.

"What's going on over here?" A deep voice came from the beach. Aria and Ezra looked up surprised to see two uniformed men strutting over to them.

…

"Byron, it's nine and they're still not back yet!" Ashley yelled, pacing in front Byron who was reading a book.

"Babe! They're fine! Stop worrying!" Byron laughed. Byron's phone started ringing, and Ashley sprinted towards it. "Ash, calm the heck down."

"Shut up." She said before flipping the phone open and immediately answering. "Hello?"

"_Hey, Ashley. Can you give my dad the phone?"_

"Oh thank god, Aria. Yeah, yeah. Here he is." She handed the blue plastic to her boyfriend and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Hello?"

"_Hey, Dad. Uh, do you have any idea how much I love you and look up to you?"_

"Aria. What did you do?"

"_Well, uh…me and Ezra, sorry, Ezra and _I, _are at the police station." _

"You're what?" Byron yelled. Ashley whipped her head around and grabbed the phone from his hands. He shot up from the bed and immediately started getting changed.

"Aria, what happened?"

"_You guys need to stop switching the phone. It's getting us confused."_

"Aria, just tell me what happened." Ashley warned, holding her head up with her hand.

"_Uh, okay. So, we went to get coffee and donuts at like five thirty and we worked things out, by the way. After that, we went to go watch the sun rise on a beach and I had the bright idea to go swimming. Turns out the beach we went to was a private beach and the cops patrolled it regularly. So, can you come get us?" _

"Why can't Ezra just leave? He's over eighteen." Ashley curiously asked.

"_Yeah, well I'm not. And the truck is at the beach." _

Ashley sighed before saying they'd be there in about twenty minutes.

…

They had hailed a cab to the beach and picked up the car, with the keys still in the ignition.

In the car, Byron was absolutely fuming.

"I can't believe they would do this! What the hell were they thinking? They should have known not to do this. It's absolutely ridiculous. I thought I could trust them." He yelled the entire time. Ashley wouldn't let him drive, cautious of his mad road rage.

"Byron, calm down. We're here."

Byron pushed open the car door forcefully and ran towards the entrance, fists clenched. Ashley was close behind, trying to stop the Hulk from turning green. Byron stopped at the front desk and started looking around for the two delinquents. Ashley was the logical one and stopped to ask one of policemen working the front desk.

"Hello, I'm Ashley Marin and this is Byron Montgomery. We're here for Ezra Fitz and Aria Montgomery." She said calmly as the police woman, Officer Patterson, looked something up on the computer.

"Yes, Ms. Montgomery is in a holding cell and Mr. Fitz is sitting right over there." Officer Patterson pointed towards the right and both parents turned towards the direction to see Ezra leaning over his knees with his head in his hands.

"Thank you." Ashley set her hand gently on the high counter before sauntering over towards Ezra as Byron tried to find out if he could bail out Aria.

"Ezra." Ashley said as she sat down across from him. He looked up and started apologizing immediately.

"Ashley, okay. So, we were going to watch the sun rise and we decided to go swimming and there were no signs that we saw saying it was private and off limits and that cops patrolled daily and…and…I'm so sorry. I'm really, really sorry." He sighed before rubbing his face once more.

"Its fine, Ezra. Byron is going to get Aria then we're going to get lunch and get this whole situation figured out." She calmly assured.

Byron came back with a disheveled Aria in his grip. She had a look on her face that shouted that she just got yelled at. Once the two were caught up with Ezra and Ashley, Aria tugged her arm forcefully away and rubbed her bicep, giving her father a glare.

"Now, the owners have decided not to press charges, you're lucky as hell for that, but they want you to babysit for them. Turns out they have been looking for someone to watch their four year old son on Saturday, which is tomorrow." Byron announced. Aria nodded along, agreeing. She honestly loved kids; she was hoping to have a clan of hers when she was married. Ezra, on the other hand, wanted kids, but hated the idea of watching someone else's. His sister had a beautiful baby girl named Rose; with cheeks to match. Every time he visited their home in Manhattan, he played with her continuously but when Charlie and her husband left, he was clueless. When Rose needed changing, he wrapped her in a dish towel and Duct Tape.

"Okay." Aria muttered, sitting next to her boyfriend. "We'll do it."

"Alright, let me go fill out the rest of the paper work and we'll go get lunch."

…

The diner they were in felt like one of those sixties diners with the jukebox in the corner and you could order a Coke for sixty cents. Aria walked back from the restroom after repeatedly washing her hands, seeing as she was in a cell with older, unwashed women in their tramp suits. She stopped at the juke and picked a song before walking the five feet to their table.

_Happiness is just outside my window__  
__would it crash blowing 80-miles an hour?__  
__Or is happiness a little more like knocking__  
__on your door and you just let it in?_

Ezra heard the first couple chords and an immediate smile crossed his face as Aria sat in next to him.

"I thought you'd like it." Aria smiled, looking at the menu. "What's everyone else having?"

Byron laughed and Ashley looked at the bright blue menu sitting between her and her boyfriend.

"I kind of want a cheeseburger." Ezra laughed. Aria's face broke into a smile when she remembered there trip to a secluded bar.

"_Can I get a cheeseburger please?" A young brunette yelled to the bartender as her and her boyfriend sat down._

_Aria and Ezra had found this bar shortly after their relationship started. Using Spencer as an alibi, Aria and Ezra snuck off to Hollis district and stumbled upon an emptied bar named _Snookers'.

_Ezra got up to head towards the jukebox set next to the door and behind the open bar. Finding a perfect song after ten minutes, he sat next to the brunette and held her hand._

"_God, I love this song." She whispered to herself more than anyone other. _

"_B-26." Ezra smirked, taking a sip of the scotch he ordered not to long ago. Aria's burger was placed in front of her, but due to sexual tension, that was never finished._

"I never did finish that!" Aria laughed looking at Ezra.

"I'm not surprised! I've had one of their burgers. They're not that good." He laughed, wrapping an arm around her.

"Really? See, I wouldn't know." She laughed, drinking her tea that her father ordered for her.

Ashley and Byron eyed them curiously before brushing off the odd conversation and turning their attention towards the waitress that had a pencil in her bun and was chewing her gum rather loudly.

"What can I get ya'll?" The peppy waitress asked.

"Uh, I think I'll get a grilled cheese, but can I have fries instead of hash browns?" Aria questioned politely. The waitress, with the nametag Susie Lynn, started writing down.

"Sure thing, doll." Ezra raised his eyebrows as Susan enunciated her southern accent even though they were only in Virginia. He eyed the menu over once more, before turning back.

"I'll have a cheeseburger with a side of coleslaw." He mentioned before setting his menu on top of Aria's.

"Okie-dokie." She mumbled before looking at the adults.

"I'll have a bacon cheeseburger with fries." Byron smiled and laid his menu on top of Ezra's.

"I'll just get chicken fingers with macaroni and cheese." Ashley smiled and put her hand on Byron's.

"Alright, any sauce for ya'll?" Susan smiled, popping her bubble gum.

"Ranch and barbeque, please." Aria smiled.

"Sure thing. Be right back, darlings." Susan turned on her heel, still writing things down, and into the kitchen; her pink uniform flowing behind her.

Aria started giggling while looking at her fingernails.

"What?" Byron asked. Aria looked at him and started laughing even harder than before.

"Aria?" Ezra questioned, resting a hand on her lower back.

She took slow, calming breaths before answering, still giggling.

"Anyone else think that her accent was hilarious?" She giggled. The whole table burst into convulsions of laughter.

Conversation flew easily throughout the four and sooner or later, the tables' food showed.

"Alright, you had the cheeseburger, you had the grilled, and you had the bacon and you…"the waitress paused, taking a breath. "You had the chicken." She mumbled to herself before folding the tray under her arm.

"Anything else I can get ya'll?" Susan asked. The table looked around and shook their heads no. "Alright, I'll check back in later." She smiled and walked away.

"Alright, I had the bacon." Byron said, grabbing the plate from Ezra.

"You had the cheeseburger." Aria laughed, giving Ezra his food.

"Here's your grilled cheese." Ashley handed her plate to Aria and took her plate from Byron.

"We all good?" Ezra asked, holding his fork in his left hand. The other three dug in and Ezra took that as a nod of approval.

"I can't believe you eat fries with fork." Ashley laughed, pointing to Byron.

"What? They're greasy." He defended. Byron chuckled before stealing a couple pieces of macaroni from her plate.

"Hey, get your own." She laughed, smacking his fork away with her spoon. Byron leaned over and kissed her cheek, distracting her while his fork inched over and grabbed more macaroni from her green plate. "Jerk." She laughed when she realized what he had done.

"Buy, hey. You love me for it." Byron smiled.

"Sure, I do."

…

The four were sitting in the truck, stuck in mid-day traffic. Aria was growing irritable and Ashley was becoming tired.

"What do you say we go parasailing today? Maybe build a few sand castles on the beach." Ezra offered to Aria, whose head was resting on his lap with her feet dangling out the window.

"I don't care. I just want to get out of this truck." She sighed, looking at the million cars ahead of her.

"Babe, maybe I can take you golfing today." Byron nudged the red head sitting next to him.

"Oh God. Not that again." Ashley sighed.

"What? It wasn't that bad last time!" Byron defended his pride.

A couple months ago, the two had gone golfing in a secluded country club that Byron had won a day passes for. Byron got mad every hole he missed. They ended the day with Ashley driving with a drunk Byron passed out in the back.

"Please." Ashley scoffed sarcastically. Byron inched the truck forward before turning back to Aria and Ezra.

"How about we go back to the hotel, get out suits, then take a dip in the ocean?" Byron said, leaning his head back looking in the rear view mirror.

"I don't care, it's already two. Let's go." Aria said, laying her head back in Ezra's lap before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. Ezra's hand immediately fell to her hair and casually stroked it as his head hit the top of seat, letting it roll to the side before he too, fell into a deep slumber.

The cab became shockingly quiet after the two younger passengers hit the hay. Byron's hand lay lazily in the middle of the console that lie between the two front riders seats. Ashley hands were slowly and casually flipping through a People! Magazine they had picked up at a gas station on the way to Virginia. Catching up on celebrity gossip wasn't a thing that Ashley usually did, but being in a car for an extended amount of time, she needed something to keep herself busy. Byron had bought a new book, a Vintage Crime and Black Lizard original by Andrew Vachss. It contained a series of short stories that were connected with the title _Born Bad. _Aria tried reading a bit of it, but got too freaked by the third story, _Anytime I Want. _

She tried to stay on the task of reading about Katy Perry opening up about the tragic 14 month marriage that ended in divorce with Russell Brand, but she kept thinking about how protective she was over Aria and Ezra. It was as if she were their mother for a split second. Sure, she wondered what it would be like to be married to Byron and hopefully someday have Aria treat her like a mother, but in that moment of time, she felt more comfortable of watching over Byron's family as if they were her own.

"Babe?" Byron broke her from her thoughts and settled his lazy hand on her thigh. She replied with wide eyes and a simple _yeah. _His eyebrows crinkled together showing years of worry lines. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, oh yeah. Never been better." She smiled genuinely before kissing him on the lips and settling back in the seat.

"Okay then. Which exit do I take, again?" He boyfriend smiled, looking onto the not so busy highway.

"The next one after this." She laughed at Byron's forgetfulness before entwining her hands with his. He looked over at her and smiled before tightening his grip and turning the car up the paved hill that lead them back to their motel.

…

"Ezra what are you doing over there?" Aria yelled over to where Ezra was drawing in the sand with his toes.

"You'll see." He mumbled. Aria stopped her walking and crossed her arms across her bikini clad chest. She was dressed in a strapless yellow top with ruffles cascading down with black bottoms. Ezra had a red pair of trunks on with a blue floral pattern.

Aria tried to push her was past Ezra, but he spread his arm across her abdomen to keep her from seeing. She fought for a couple seconds, giggling along with Ezra, until she finally gave up and started pouting.

"Put your lip away or I'm going to erase this." Ezra said, not turning around. Aria sucked her lip in, catching it between her teeth. The pair stood like this; Aria's arms blatantly crossed over her chest, and Ezra trying to hold his balance with his arms spread wide and his calf muscle flexing every time he drew another line. He had to crouch on his knees and use a finger to draw some parts. A mumbled _done _came from his lips and Aria pounced after the chance to look.

What stood before her was simple, yet romantic. A simple heart was traced with _Ezra loves Aria _in the heart but was around it caught her heart. Pictures of the two surrounded it. Not regular Kodak pictures, put finger drawn pictures. Yes, they were stick figures, but Aria loved them none the less.

"Oh, Ezra." She sighed, jumping into his arms, giving him an open mouthed kiss on the lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she enclosed his hips around her thighs, knotting her ankles on his lower back. Aria was the first to pull back and lean her head into the crook of his neck, her hot breath on his chest. "I love you, Ezra."

"Not for long." She hadn't notice they were moving until she saw that Ezra waist deep in the ocean. She stared wide eyed at him before he tossed her carefully into the salty sea water. She had just enough time to react to plant her feet down, but she was already under water by the time. She sprung back up and the water reached just below her midriff.

"Ezra Michael Fitz! You are going to get it!" Aria screeched. She shot up out of the water and pounced her hands on top of her boyfriends head, causing him to go under the water momentarily.

"Aria Lucille! Are you trying to kill me?" He screeched, gasping for air.

"No, I'd miss you too much!" She laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck. He placed his wet hands on her hips and kissed her lips.

"Awh, thanks babe." They stared into each other's eyes before Ezra grip tightened on her waist and she barely had enough time to process what was happening before he threw in the air and over his shoulder, walking towards the beach.

"Ezra! Put me down!" She kicked her legs, pounding her fists on Ezra toned back.

"You really think that hurts? It's like little butterfly kisses, Aria." He chuckled.

"Boy, quit foolin' around." Aria said, hoping Ezra would catch on.

"I love the view from up here, warm sun and wind in my ear. We'll watch the world from above, as it turns to the rhythm of love." He set her down once they reached their towels, Ashley and Byron nowhere in sight. "We may only have tonight, but 'till the morning sun you're mine. All mine, play the music and sway to the rhythm of love." He whispered huskily in her ear.

Her lips attacked his and wasted no time before slipping her tongue before his reddened lips. Her fingers almost instantly went to the back of his neck and down his chiseled chest holding on to the skin that was just above his trunks. One of his hands balanced himself next to her head and the other wandered down towards the southern region of her body, fondling the ties on her bathing suit. He brought that hand to lie under her chin, bringing her head up more. She ran her fingers through his hair, making it go in all sorts of directions. She rubbed his shoulders and soon travelled towards the tie of his trunk, thrusting her fingers in between his hot skin and the shorts. He moaned in her mouth before his hand cautiously rose towards his breast.

"Excuse me." A voice said. Aria quickly snapped her head in the direction of the sound and saw her father and Ashley standing by the umbrella with nachos, sandwiches, and chips. "We thought you kids were hungry." Ashley said.

"Hungry for each other's mouths." Byron mumbled, which cause a smack from Ashley.

"Sorry. We got…carried away." Aria said, wiping saliva off her lower lip. Ezra laughed, earning him a smack on the head.

"Ah! That hurt!" He defended, holding the back of his head.

"Oh, deal with it. At least I didn't cause brain damage."

"I'm not so sure. What day is it again? Who are you?" Ezra joked, causing him another smack but in the abdomen this time.

"We have abusive relationships. First I'm smackin' Byron and you're smackin' Ezra. Next thing we know we're burying the bodies side by side in the dead of night because they didn't get us the right tampon brand." Ashley laughed, unwrapping her sandwich.

"Oh, I wouldn't bury Ezra. I'd burn him alive and scatter his ashes around the school." She smiled, patting his back.

"Thanks, Ar." Ezra rolled his eyes before grabbing the sunscreen. "Want to rub this on my back?"

"Anything for you, my pale albino." Aria answered while taking away his SPF 80 and squirting a quarter size amount on her hand. Ashley looked onward at the happy, young couple and couldn't help but think if that was the way that Ella and Byron were before all the drama in their lives started.

Did they rub sunscreen on each other's back at the beach? Did they have little inside jokes that no one understood? Did Byron surprise Ella just as much as he did with herself? Were they the couple that everyone else envied? She shook her head at the silly questions she was asking herself. Yes, Byron still loved Ella and Ashley completely understood that; losing a loved one is especially hard on the widower. But, why was she this jealous over a corpse?


	7. Virginia Day 6 & 7

_**Day Six…**_

"Do we really have to do this?" Ezra asked Aria as they were driving towards the secluded beach once again.

"Yeah, unless you want to be standing behind jail bars rattling a can." Giggled Aria, who was seated behind the steering wheel. She was barely tall enough to see so she sat on her left leg and had a sweatshirt underneath her.

"Why am I letting you drive if you can't even see?" Ezra laughed.

"Because, I don't want to _not_ drive this entire vacation." Aria glanced over at him before turning back to the almost empty road. "What was that address again?"

"P. Sherman. 42, Wallaby Way, Sydney." Ezra answered, poker-faced.

"I don't see a Wallaby…wait." She stopped the car and looked at Ezra. "Really? Finding Nemo?"

"Hey, it's my favorite childhood movie." He lauged.

"Whatever. Seriously what's the address?"

…

"So, what do you want to do tonight?" Ashley asked Byron who was still outlining _Of Mice and Men. _He set the book down and walked over to Ashley who was standing in front of the mirror, putting her hair up in a pony.

"Well, we could…"He trailed his fingers lightly down her arms, causing goose bumps to rise. "…watch a movie, in bed, with the lights off. Clothes optional." He whispered seductively in her ear.

"Oh, I might like that idea." Ashley coyly replied, spinning in Byron's arms and wrapping her wrist around his neck. She kissed him on the cheek before walking away to pick out one of the many movies they brought along on the trip.

"Pretty Woman or Practical Magic?" Ashley asked, holding up both DVD's. Byron internally groaned at the chick flicks before picking Practical Magic. At least it had murder.

…

"So this is Marcus, and his snacks are in the cabinet with the yellow sticky note. He's already been fed. Bedtime at eight-thirty. Try not to give him too much junk food. Help yourself to anything in the house, there are soda's in the mini-fridge in the garage. He likes chocolate milk when he goes to bed, but don't put a lot in or he won't sleep. I put in about a half a spoon full." Mrs. Benton rushed through, still applying her makeup as Aria stood in the bathroom doorway as Ezra and Mr. Benton stood downstairs chatting.

"Okay, uhm. Does he watch TV? Most kids I watch aren't allowed." Aria asked, playing with her fingers.

"Yeah, but tonight, I only want him watching movies. It's nothing against you or anything, but the TV is really hard to manage; I'm still having trouble with it. So, we have a DVD player and just put in any movie he wants." She pushed her mascara brush back into the capsule and turned. Aria moved out of the way so she could follow the older woman down the hallway.

Both women walked down the hallway and met with the men waiting in the foyer.

"Ready to go, darling?" Mr. Benton asked his wife.

"Ready as I'll ever be." She smiled. "We'll be back around eleven. Don't be too shy, anything here is yours. Have fun!"

Aria and Ezra waved after them as Marcus was creating havoc in the play room. He came out; his curly brown hair a mess, his clothes ruffled, and a hint of blue paint under his chin.

He walked up to the two babysitters and asked, "What's your name again?"

"I'm Aria." She smiled, kneeling down to his height. "And this is my boyfriend Ezra."

"What's a boyfriend?" He looked up at Ezra, thinking he might know the answer.

"A…special friend." Aria was quick to reply. "How about we go watch a movie?"

"Cars!" Marcus screamed before taking off for the TV room.

"And here I thought he was going to ask where babies come from." Ezra laughed.

…

"Hey, Ash?" Byron asked his girlfriend who had her head on his bare chest. Ashley was wearing Byron's Hollis t-shirt and boxer shorts while Byron wore a pair of gym shorts.

"Yeah?" She answered, half-dazed.

"If we were to ever…I don't know, move in together, would Hanna be okay with me being a…an authority figure?"

"An authority figure?" Ashley laughed, lifting herself on her hands.

"Well, yeah. I mean, this relationship is going good, we're having fun, getting serious, and eventually, you are bound to either move in with me and marry me way down the road or we'll both die…forever alone." Byron said, leaning back on the head board.

"Forever alone?" She laughed again.

"You're right; just…forget I said anything. I'm going to sleep." He rolled over and closed his eyes before he felt a manicured hand on his shoulder, flipping him back over.

"Byron, baby. If we ever move in together, Aria and Hanna would have the best of both worlds. They'd have two of the best parents ever." She kissed his nose before shifting on her side.

"I love you." He sighed. He turned over so they were in a spooning position and his hand draped lazily over her waist.

"Love you, too." She smiled before letting sleep overcome the both of them.

…

"I think this little guy is asleep." Ezra laughed at the sleeping four year old with his socked feet laying on Ezra's pocket and his head in Aria's lap. "I also think he had a crush on you."

"What?" Aria laughed, picking up the little boy and carrying him up the flight of stairs to his room, Ezra close behind.

"You don't realize he was hanging on your every word? Every time I came within reaching distance of you, he gave me the evil eye!" He laughed some more.

"You're delusional." She lay him down in his toy story sheets and turned on the night light. "Well, Mr. Fitz." She smiled seductively. "We have a full two and a half hours until his parents come home. What would you like to do?"

"Hm…I have a few things in mind." He smirked. He quickly picked Aria up bridal style and ran down the stairs, throwing her on the couch. "How's this for a try?" He leaned down and kissed her lips quickly.

"Wait, I missed that. Can I get another?" She laughed.

"Why, yes, you can." He smiled, lowering himself one more time to capture his girlfriend's lips while her arms wrapped themselves around his neck. Aria pulled away quickly.

"You know what I kind of want to do?" She whispered seductively against his lips.

"Now, what would that be?" He whispered back.

"I kind of want to watch Toy Story 3." Aria chuckled, wiggling herself from Ezra's grip to reach the movie.

"You, my lady, are a magnificent tease."

"I try my hardest." She winked before putting the disk in the console.

…

"I hope he wasn't too much trouble." Miranda Benton whispered, careful not to wake Aria.

"Oh, he was perfect." Ezra smiled. Miranda dug around in her purse to grab a blue snake skin wallet out of her giant tote size purse hanging off her right shoulder.

"Well, here's fifty dollars, I know it might too much, but it's twenty five each and usually Marcus is terrible." Miranda smiled, snapping her wallet closed and setting it on the kitchen counter.

"Oh!" Ezra seemed surprised that they were actually being paid for watching a four year old sleep. "Well, we, uh, we really appreciate it." He looked over at Aria, still curled up in a ball, sleeping away. "I guess I'll just carry her out then. Thank you!"

"No, thank you! Hope you guys have a great trip!" She called before walking towards her bedroom.

Ezra scooped Aria up in his arms before walking out the door that Kenneth Benton was holding open for them. Ezra gave him a nod before side stepping his way out and towards the truck. He placed Aria in the backseat so she could lie out. He walked around the cab hopping in the front seat and pushing the key into the ignition.

"Time to pack for North Carolina." He muttered to himself before driving back to their motel.

…

"Ezra…" Aria sang, kissing his cheeks. His moaned then rolled over onto his side, irritated that his sleep was being interrupted. "Ezra, baby…" She cooed again, kissing his lips this time.

"What, Aria?" He snapped.

"Well, someone's in a mood." She huffed, jumping off the bed.

"I'm sorry. I just didn't get to bed until two last night and it's…" He looked over at the digital clock on the night stand. "Six." He groaned and threw his arm across his eyes.

"Well, Dad woke me up to tell me Ashley and him were going to get coffee and to wash our clothes. That was a good hour ago. I tried to let you sleep longer, but I got bored." She laughed. Ezra narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm sorry. Why didn't you get to bed until two anyway?"

"Your father locked the door. I spend a good hour banging on the door just to get him to open it." He sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Then I take off all your makeup and jewelry. You really shouldn't wear that much anyway. It's a hassle to take it all off."

"Well, sorry I try to look presentable."

"Oh please, you look beautiful in anything. Even nasty old sweats and one of sweaters with your hair in a bun and no makeup." He leaned over and kissed her on the lips before she pulled away.

"You have morning breath." She made a face before walking off to the restroom. "I'm going to hop in the shower." She paused for a second before sticking her head out the door. "You're more than welcome to join me if you want." She winked before walking back and turning on the shower.

Ezra hesitated before standing up and almost sprinting to the bathroom. Unfourtanetly, once he hit the door way, the door to the outside opened revealing Ashley and Byron carrying two bags of clean clothes and six coffee cups. _Damn it. _

"Hey, Ezra." Byron smiled cheerfully before handing him a black coffee. Ezra raised his cup to him before taking a hefty gulp. "Where's Aria?"

"She's in the shower. I'm just going to go brush my teeth." He said before setting his cup on the table and walking towards the room where his naked girlfriend was.

"Ah, not so fast." Byron stopped him with his bulky hand pushing him back to the wall. "Not that I don't trust you or anything, but you and a naked Aria in the same room? Not a good idea."

"I-I get it." He mumbled before taking his coffee back and sitting on one of the beds. _Damn it. Twice. _

"We didn't know which clothes of yours were dirty or not, so we took the wrinkled ones." Ashley said handing him a bag of his and Aria's clothes.

"Okay, thank you. I appreciate it." He said, dumping out the clothes on the bed and sorting them. Halfway through folding and sorting, Aria came out of the bathroom with soaking wet hair and a towel wrapped loosely around her. The white fabric draped low enough on her back to reveal a tiny mole centimeters below her bottom. Ezra was caught staring by Ashley who _accidently _ran into him, causing him to fall and for Aria to grab her clothes and scurry back to the restroom.

_Damn it to hell._

"Aria, hurry up. We're leaving in an hour." Byron called after her. He heard a muffled 'alright' before he turned back to packing his own suitcase. Ashley busied herself by taking everything out of her suitcase and repacking it, to make sure she didn't forget anything.

"Who's driving first?" Ezra asked out of the blue.

"I was thinking you would, if you want." Byron said, downing the rest of his large coffee with a teaspoon of sugar and half a gallon of milk in it.

"Sure." Ezra mumbled. He finished folding and started loading everything into his duffle bag. He put Aria's clothes neatly in her Wal-Mart bought black suitcase and closed both up before taking them out to the truck. When he came back in, he saw Aria out of the shower looking around.

"Ezra, where'd you put my suitcase?" She asked him. She had on an old gym t-shirt and black yoga shorts with mix matched cheetah print socks.

"I just put it out in the truck. Do you need it?"

"I need my tooth brush and makeup. I'll go get it." She started walking towards the door before Ezra stopped her.

"No, I got it." He kissed her on the lips before walking back out the door. Aria plopped down on the bed and sprawled her tiny figure out. She groaned at how early it was, only being six forty five.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Byron asked after he zipped up his last bag.

"It's too early." She rolled over and curled into a ball.

"Oh, I forgot. I got you coffee." He took the white Styrofoam cup over to his daughter and laid it on the bedside table.

"Thank god." Aria took a giant gulp before lying back down and cuddling the cup, making sure it didn't spill.

"Here's you makeup and toothbrush, babe." Ezra said and walked into the bathroom. Aria reluctantly got up and walked into the tiny room after her boyfriend. He took out his own toothbrush and rubbed cinnamon toothpaste on the end while Aria took out her own purple brush and rubbed mint crest on it. After a quiet two minutes of the water running and the scrubbing of teeth, both leaned over and spit at the same time. Ezra's landing in the sink; Aria's landing on the back of Ezra's neck.

Ezra stopped and slowly stood up, a glare in his eyes. Aria stood like a dear in headlights before she finished rinsing out her mouth and grabbing a towel and wetting it before wiping off the back of his neck. After she was done and started to lower her hands, he grabbed Aria's wrist, a playful look in his eyes.

"Ezra, no." She warned. She didn't have enough time to react before he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder and walked out the bathroom with Aria pounding on his back and kicking her legs. He through her down on the bed and started tickling her furiously. She screamed out loudly and kicked her legs even more.

"Say you're sorry!" Ezra laughed, loving the torture he was giving his girlfriend. She sucked in air before she tried to form sentences.

"I'm…I'm…I'm…" she stuttered. "I'm sorry!" She finally screamed.

Ezra stopped moving his hands and placed them on her hips before giving her a kiss. "You're lucky."

He rolled off her before walking back to the restroom.

"What'd you do to the poor man?" Ashley inquired.

"I accidently spit my tooth paste on his neck. We bent down at the same time. Usual Hannah Montana shenanigan." Aria laughed, referring to the episode she watched where Miley and Jackson had to share a bathroom and it just screamed havoc.

"Ah, I see." Ashley laughed. Byron came back in after filling the truck up with everybody's suitcases.

"Where's Ezra?" He said, almost out of breath.

"Bathroom." Both women answered before giggling.

"Well, it's about to rain." Byron said before knocking on the bathroom door. "Ezra, it's going to rain. Do we have a tarp?" The younger man came out a second later.

"Yeah, there's one under the seat in the back. Do you need help?"

"That would be wise." Mr. Montgomery mumbled before walking out the door. Both girls followed them to make sure they didn't need them. They ended helping anyway; the wind was treacherous. It took all four of them, and Aria lying on top of the top to make sure it didn't blow away, to secure the blue plastic the ends of bed.

"Ready?" Aria asked, purse in hand. The purse was literally the size of a microwave. It carried her and Ezra's phone chargers, an extra shirt for each of them, a couple tampons, her makeup bag, bottles of nail polish for the boring times where they would be stuck in traffic, five books, three Gatorades and a water bottle.

"Yeah." The other three said. Ashley grabbed her bag which carried all her and Byron's necessities. Ezra grabbed his phone and Yankee's hat along with the keys. Byron slipped on his tennis shoes and coffee.

All four made their way to the truck, ready for the trek to North Carolina with serious rain pouring down.

**READ!**

**Okay guys, I HAVE NOT UPDATED! Just reaarganged. As I have said, I have only rearranged the chapters so I don't have two chapters be almost 10,000 words, then a bunch of 3,000 word chapters. Sorry for the inconvenience.**


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